Rotorua man jailed for impregnating mentally impaired teenager

A Rotorua man has been jailed for five years after impregnating a severely mentally impaired teenager - who had no idea how babies came into being.

Joseph Michael Stickings, 42, a painter and decorator, was earlier found guilty by a Rotorua District Court jury of exploiting a young person with a significant impairment by sexual connection.

In sentencing on Wednesday, Judge Phillip Cooper rejected a claim of remorse from Stickings' lawyer Laura Owen, saying he could have pleaded guilty and saved the teen the trauma of giving evidence.

The judge noted the birth of Stickings' child had a significant impact on his victim with the mental capacity of a 7-year-old, who had no idea what happened to her or how babies were made.

"Your friendship with the girl morphed into a sinister sexual relationship ... it had a whiff of predatory sexual behaviour about it ... you had unprotected sex with her, making her pregnant, that is the stand-out feature of this case.

"From what you told the pre-sentence report writer, you don't appear to understand the effect of your actions on the complainant and her whanau," Judge Cooper told Stickings.

Owen said Stickings hadn't set out to molest the girl, who he'd picked up while she was walking on Malfroy Rd in Rotorua, then buying her KFC. Their friendship developed from there.

Crown solicitor Amanda Gordon argued Stickings had exploited and abused the girl's vulnerability and disability with an element of grooming and premeditation evident in his actions.