CHRISTCHURCH - A judge has put a five-day block on reporting of a youth's victim impact statement to the court before the sentencing of a 58-year-old man who admitted having sex for money with the 15-year-old.
Judge Stephen Erber also barred reporting of comments made on the statement
in Christchurch District Court today.
He said he did not intend to suppress the statement or comments permanently, but would allow them to be reported at the sentencing on Monday when he is able to comment on them himself.
This would allow the matter to be reported "in the round", balanced with comments he may wish to make about the victim.
He suppressed the name of the Christchurch man who had admitted a charge of receiving commercial sexual services from a person under 18.
He also suppressed the names of the two youths said to have been involved after a liaison in a central Christchurch public toilet block in May 2004.
The man originally faced charges relating to both youths but one of the charges was dropped after an allegation that one youth had blackmailed the man by threatening to go to the police.
According to evidence given to the court today by the officer in charge of the case, Detective Constable Vaughn Sweetman, the man paid that youth $500 in a meeting at a high school after the blackmail threat.
He said he recommended that the youth be charged over the blackmail but the case was sent to the Police Youth Aid section which decided not to prosecute. It is understood that youth cannot now be found.
The other youth read his victim impact statement to the court, but its contents and the comments relating to it were suppressed when Judge Erber decided to put the sentencing off until Monday.
He asked the probation service to prepare a report so that a sentence of home detention could be considered. The man remains on bail.
- NZPA
