Trial begins for child sex tour accused

The trial of a 47-year-old motel and property manager, charged with organising child sex tours to Asia, is set to begin today.

The man, who has interim name suppression, faces charges of organising and promoting child sex tours, publishing information promoting child sex tours and dealing with people under the age of 18 for sexual exploitation.

Stop Demand’s founder Denise Ritchie, who was the key petitioner to the law reform in the mid 1990s, says it’s the first such charge to be laid under the law since it came into effect 16 years ago.

Denise Ritchie will be attending the hearing at the Auckland High Court.

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