Paedophile avoids preventative jail term

A Christchurch paedophile with a history of offending dating back to the early 1990s has avoided preventive detention, despite the judge saying he believed the man would reoffend.

Robert Reginald Neill, 60, pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection and two charges of sexual conduct with an 11-year-old boy, The Press reported.

At his recent sentencing in the High Court in Christchurch, Justice Rhys Harrison said he was "satisfied ... that [Neill] would be likely to commit another qualifying offence".

But his willingness to undertake sexual offending programmes had saved him from a preventive sentence.

Instead the judge imposed a 5-1/2-year jail term with a minimum non-parole period of 3-1/2 years.

Neill had five previous convictions dating from 1992 for indecency offences against a boy and girl under 12, and a young male.

He had previously been unable to attend sexual offending programmes, the judge said.

- NZPA