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TAURANGA - A middle-aged boss who offered advice to a teenage employee on her love life built up a pattern of sexual grooming, Tauranga District Court was told today.
Whakatane businessman Mark Roderick McKenzie, 45, appeared for sentencing on a charge of abduction and one of indecent assault. A jury had found him guilty on both counts.
Judge Peter Rollo imposed four months' home detention and ordered McKenzie to do 150 hours of community work. He is to pay $1500 reparation to the complainant and undertake psychological treatment or counselling if required.
McKenzie's risque and sexually explicit behaviour had led to his offending, the judge said.
He had told the young staff member that she should be more sexually confident. Because she needed the job and he was her boss, the complainant was vulnerable.
McKenzie had suggested she take up blindfolded lap dancing and he would act as her manager. More accurately, the suggestion was "you might be her pimp", Judge Rollo said.
He described McKenzie's actions as sexual grooming of a naive young woman for his own gratification.
Although the unlawful confinement of the girl in a locked office - the basis of the abduction charge - had been over a relatively brief period, it was an escalation of a pattern of behaviour, the judge said.
It had a significant effect on the teenager at the time but she had been able to make personal progress since.
In mitigation, McKenzie had no prior convictions for sexual or violent offending.
According to the crown summary, the young woman was 18 when she worked for McKenzie Auto Group in Whakatane for five months from late February 2005.
In May of that year, McKenzie started up a conversation with her about a recent breakup with her boyfriend. He talked about masturbation and sexuality, saying he could assist her and she could trust him in such matters.
The teenager accepted McKenzie's offer of a ride home that day, when he stopped the car, grabbed the girl's hand and pressed it on his genitals. She pulled her hand away in disgust and asked to be taken home.
The complainant continued working for McKenzie but was subjected to ongoing sexual harassment, the court was told.
On one occasion, he got her up to an upstairs office and then locked the door, put a stool against it and sat down.
He would not let her out until she met his demands to show him her underwear and her buttocks.
When spoken to by the police, McKenzie denied the accusations.
Defence lawyer Tony Balme said there was no basis for continuing name suppression. McKenzie had lost his business as a result of adverse publicity, suffered health problems and faced a long, difficult road to recovery.
His client realised he had to accept the jury's verdict and had offered to pay reparation to his former employee, Mr Balme told the court.
He said McKenzie had a lengthy record of community service.
- NZPA
