KEY POINTS:
A man convicted of sexual assault escaped a jail term yesterday because he is dying from cancer.
Robin Moore, 60, was too sick to be present in Rotorua District Court and his sentencing went ahead in his absence, the Rotorua Post reported.
The court was told he had cancer of the liver and pancreas and was expected to die within a short time.
Moore was found guilty by a jury at a trial in December of 10 charges of indecent assaulting two girls under the age of 16.
Judge Chris McGuire sentenced him to two years' supervision, saying if he was not terminally ill, he would have been jailed for three or four years.
Judge McGuire ordered his sentencing notes be sent to Moore.
- NZPA
