Bad teachers – A Moment in Crime podcast looks back at New Zealand’s worst sex-offending educators

Just how bad are New Zealand's child sex-offending teachers? Photo / 123rf

There are too many occurrence of teachers being investigated or charged with sexual offending against the children and young people they are supposed to be educating, guiding and nurturing.

But some cases are significantly worse than other – and in this episode of A Moment In Crime host Anna Leask recalls the three sex-offending teachers who have caused New Zealand kids the most harm.

The cases of Jaime Cooney, Paul Herrick and James Robertson are among the worst offenders – in terms of how the abuse played out, the number of victims and how long the offending was taking place.

Former Blenheim woman Jaimee Marie Cooney was the first female teacher sent to prison for child sex offending. Photo / Nelson Weekly

And in all three cases, these predators could have been stopped much earlier.

There were glaring red flags and concerns were raised both formally and informally with police and other authorities.

But for various reasons, these offenders remained free and able to continue violating and abusing innocent children.

In today’s episode of A Moment In Crime, Leask outlines how the sexual predators were caught, how they were dealt with by the justice system and where they are now.

You will also hear from Parker – what he told the Parole Board in 2024 about his disgusting offending.

This episode of A Moment In Crime tells the story of significant sexual offending and abuse and is intended for a mature audience. See below information on where to get help or advice.

James Robertson Parker in court. Photo / ONE News

Episodes of A Moment In Crime are usually released monthly and, so far, Leask has covered more than 55 cases including the murders of Grace Millane, Scott Guy, Austin Hemmings, Carmen Thomas, Karen Aim; the deaths of the Kahui twins, the Edgeware Rd murders, the Christchurch House of Horrors and the massacres at Raurimu and Aramoana.

Last year, the podcast published a three-part special covered the case of rich lister and philanthropist James Wallace, who was convicted of sexually assaulting three men and was jailed and had his knighthood stripped from him as a result.

And to mark the 30th anniversary of the Bain family murders, Leask produced a two-part special reflecting on the atrocious loss of life and legal saga that followed.

Listen to the full episode for more on the cases of Parker, Cooney and Herrick.

Paul Herrick, 73, at his most recent sentencing for historic sex offences. Photo / Stuart Munro

A Moment in Crime is available on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released monthly.

The series is written and hosted by senior journalist Anna Leask – who specialises in crime and justice.

She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 19 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime.

If you have a crime or case you would like to hear more about, email anna.leask@nzme.co.nz.

Since 2019, A Moment in Crime has produced more than 55 episodes and has been downloaded over 1 million times, with listeners in over 170 countries. It was nominated for Best True Crime Podcast at the 2024 Radio and Podcast Awards.