Woman 'sneaked out' with teens to join dope smokers

Amanda Campbell is on judge-alone trial in the Whangarei District Court on three charges relating to sex with a boy aged under 16. Photo / Michael Cunningham

A Whangarei woman has been found guilty of having sex with a boy under the age of 16 about 10 times and smoking cannabis with him.

Amanda Campbell, 39, was found guilty on a number of charges after a judge-alone trial in the Whangarei District Court this week. Campbell was charged with one count of sexual connection with a young person between the ages of 12 and 16, one charge of permitting a house and another of permitting a vehicle to be used to smoke cannabis.

The offences were committed in June last year.

Judge Duncan Harvey accepted the boy's evidence that he and Campbell had sex about 10 times, including once inside a car.

On Wednesday, a 17-year-old girl told the court she saw the boy in a car with Campbell on more than one occasion.

During an overnight visit to Campbell's house, the girl told the court how Campbell had texted her and asked if she wanted to "sneak out".

She said Campbell then collected the boy from "just down the road" so his parents could not see him, leaving along with two other boys before they travelled to a house about 30km away.

At that house, the girl said she saw some people sitting in a cabin smoking "weed" about 10.30pm.

She said the boy, who Campbell had a sexual connection with, performed a "shotgun" whereby he would blow cannabis smoke into Campbell's mouth and she would breath it in.

On another occasion, the girl said she noticed the boy's name come up in Campbell's cellphone.

A video interview Campbell had with police on June 6, 2016 was shown to Judge Harvey after the girl finished giving her evidence.

Bail was denied to Campbell and she will re-appear for sentencing on May 26.