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Former Child, Youth, and Family (CYF) youth worker Ralph Lindsay Brunie today got a seven-year jail term for grooming a girl in the department's care for sex.
He had oral sex with the 15-year-old girl at a Christchurch facility where he worked, and he later met her in Auckland for sexual intercourse.
Between the two incidents, he groomed her for sex with obsessive texting, and had naked photographs of her on his pocket computer.
A jury found him guilty of the sexual grooming and both charges of having sexual connection with a person aged under 16.
Christchurch District Court Judge Michael Crosbie today made it clear that in spite of 40-year-old Brunie's expressions of remorse and his willingness to undergo treatment, he believed the offender did not fully understand and accept what he had done.
Judge Crosbie praised other CYF staff as dedicated and hard working, operating in a difficult environment.
"Happily, it is rare for the court to find itself in this position where a person working in a facility like this comes before the court," he said.
- NZPA
