The Lisa Maria Foundation has criticised a court ruling in which a man convicted over possessing child sexual abuse material was spared the minimum punishment set by law, warning that such leniency risks weakening the deterrent against child abuse.

In a statement issued on 7 July, the foundation said the ruling "minimises the crime of child sexual abuse" and fails to send a strong enough message to potential perpetrators.

The case concerns a man identified in media reports as Mr Hili, a software developer, who admitted to being in possession of around 100GB of child sexual abuse material.

According to the reports cited by the foundation, he admitted to charges related to producing, distributing or otherwise making available indecent and extreme material involving children under the age of nine.

Some of the material reportedly involved explicit sexual activity between children.

The court was reported to have waived the minimum two-year prison sentence after considering that the accused had voluntarily sought therapy and was engaged in treatment.

However, the Lisa Maria Foundation said that while seeking help was positive, it did not erase the harm caused to the children abused in the creation and distribution of the material.

"The fact remains that the man was in possession of 100GB of child sexual abuse material and any amount of help sought does not delete this crime or remove the severe impact on these children," the foundation said.

It also criticised comments attributed to a psychologist, who was reported to have noted that the accused had accessed the material for four months before seeking help and that his access was not constant. The foundation said such remarks diminished the severity of the offences.

The foundation said victims of child abuse suffer long-term consequences and deserve justice, support and proper opportunities to heal.

It added that the criminal justice system must act as a deterrent and should be feared by those considering committing such crimes.

The foundation warned that rulings perceived as lenient risk sending the message that child abuse can be excused if an abuser later seeks help.

It called for a whole-society approach in which child abuse is treated as unacceptable, inexcusable and punished adequately by law.