7 August 2012
Prolific sex exploiter resumes work with children
The “prominent” Manawatu man who was convicted in 2010 for downloading 290,000 objectionable images, mainly of young
girls, has moved to Auckland and is back working in his profession where he has direct access to children including
young girls. The man is working under his middle name.
The decision to grant the man permanent name suppression including details of his profession came under fire from Stop
Demand Foundation, a group working to stop sexual exploitation, amidst public outcry.
Despite facing a hefty term of imprisonment, the man was sentenced to a paltry four months’ home detention by Palmerston
North District Court Judge Grant Fraser.
Stop Demand’s founder, Denise Ritchie, says “The fact this offender has moved cities and has resumed work in a field
that allows him direct physical access to girls is deeply concerning. Putting the private interests of a ‘prominent’
offender ahead of the need for openness of justice is not only elitist; it will often have an ongoing, real-life impact.
In this case, the offender’s right to ongoing anonymity allows him to operate in a shroud of secrecy and denies parents
and caregivers their right to give informed consent to allowing this man physical access to children, in particular
girls – which he now has.”
The man’s professional governing body, who conducted a disciplinary hearing, is also under fire from Stop Demand. “Given
the extent of this offender’s participation in, and fuelling of, the global sexual exploitation of children, the
incalculable damage to countless child victims, and his extensive breaches of his professional standards, he should have
been struck off,” says Ms Ritchie. “The fact he was not struck off raises serious questions of his governing body. Even
more astonishing is that it imposed no restrictions on his future working with children, in particular girls.”
A common myth that such offenders generally do not pose a risk to children in real life is dangerous. Denise Ritchie
says, “Neurological evidence shows that prolonged pairings of images with our most intense positive reinforcer - sexual
arousal and orgasm - imprints itself onto a viewer’s neural pathways. In this man’s case, his masturbatory sexual
arousal triggers were young girls. Reinforcement of his triggers was compulsive, prolonged and prolific – evidenced by
his amassing over a quarter of a million illegal images.”
The man’s governing body heard that without medication and therapy to keep the man’s “urges” in check, there was “a
considerable chance” of the man re-offending.
ENDS