Child sex offender jailed for 18 years

A West Coast man who sexually abused five young girls to whom he was related was jailed today for 18 years.

The 52-year-old man, who was granted final name suppression, was sentenced in Christchurch District Court this afternoon after earlier admitting 31 sex charges, including doing an indecent act, indecent assault, four counts of detaining the girls for the purpose of having sex, and sexual violation.

He was given a minimum non-parole term of 10 years.

He pleaded guilty to the charges halfway through his jury trial in July this year, meaning three of the five girls did not have to give evidence.

The offending took place in small West Coast towns from 1997 to 2003 when the girls were aged from five to about 12.

The offending involved getting the girls to touch his genitals, touching the girls, showing his genitals while he was reading a pornographic magazine, and acts of oral sex.

The man left New Zealand and had to be extradited from Australia in January to face trial.

- NZPA