Sex victim's dad 'gutted' at two-year sentence

File photo / NZ Herald

An angry Tauranga father has confronted his son's abuser in court, telling the 61-year-old man that he has "wrecked" the boy's life.

David Leslie Nelson, 61, of Papamoa, was jailed for two years, three months in Tauranga District Court yesterday after he earlier pleaded guilty to charges of indecent assault of a boy and offensive behaviour likely to cause violence.

Judge Russell Callander revealed that Nelson was not a first-time offender, but he had amassed 14 relevant previous convictions over 44 years, and he had served several terms of prison for similar types of sexual offending.

The boy's distraught father was granted permission by Judge Callander to read his victim impact statement in court, but he did not need to refer to any notes when he stood up and blasted Nelson.

"You have wrecked my son's life ... He now trusts no one. You've wrecked his mother's life and my life."

The offensive behaviour charge relates to an incident in May in the Bayfair Shopping Centre carpark where Nelson approached a man and made sexual propositions to him.

The propositions were shunned by the victim who alerted store security and police were called.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Sean Brennan sought a jail sentence of between two to two-and-half years before any discount was allowed for a guilty plea.

Nelson's lawyer Bill Nabney argued for a lower starting point, citing the 28-year gap in offending.

Mr Nabney said despite all the times Nelson had been to prison before, he had never received any treatment for his sexual offending, and hopefully that would happen this time.

Judge Callander said, depending upon which prison Nelson went to, there were some excellent treatment programmes for longer stay prisoners.

Nelson, who had been assessed as being at high risk of further offending, had significant psychological issues in terms of his attitudes and behaviours, the judge said.

Judge Callander said because of Nelson's "lifetime of paedophilic interests", it was vital he take advantage of the treatment programmes offered to him while in prison.

"They don't profess to cure people but they do help offenders to manage the issues, so if you are attracted to commit perverted behaviours with young children, hopefully you will not act out your perverse instincts," the judge said.

Outside court, the victim's father told the Bay of Plenty Times that he was "gutted" that Nelson did not receive a longer sentence given his past convictions.

"It took a lot of courage for me to get up in court ... but my son means everything to me. You can be sure I'll be there when the time comes for him to come before the Parole Board asking to be released from prison,' the victim's father said.