Child sex offender to get second strike warning
A 24-year-old child sex offender faces a rare second strike warning and a long prison term after admitting more charges in the Christchurch District Court today.
Allan John Milne will receive the warning when he is sentenced on December 11, on a charge of meeting a 12-year-old boy after sexual grooming, and two charges of having sexual connection with a young person.
Judge David Saunders noted he had already done a Stop programme for sex offenders, but told him he believed he would be eligible for the more specialised Kia Marama programme for child sex offenders while in prison.
Milne, appearing in court by video-link from prison where he has been held on remand, said: “I completely agree.”
After his arrest, he told the police he had tried to fight the way he felt about the young victim as he knew it was wrong, and he felt guilty but had not been able to stop.
Milne has already served a home detention sentence for previous offending and has had a first-strike warning. The three-strikes system came into force in 2010, imposing heavier penalties on repeat violent offenders. As of July this year, 2784 people around New Zealand had been given first-strike warnings, and 20 had received a second-strike.
Judge Saunders ordered a psychological report to be prepared on Milne ahead of the Crown sentencing, and police prosecutor Stephen Burdes also got his permission for a psychologist to be involved in preparation of the victim impact report.
Judge Saunders said: “I don’t imagine a sentence of preventive detention is immediately on the horizon, but there is a disturbing pattern here that needs to be investigated.”
Mr Burdes told the court that Milne had met the boy at a large gathering in Christchurch in March. They shared an interest and Milne then began texting him, and they played on-line games, and were in contact on Facebook and Skype.
From June, the texts from Milne became sexualised, and he told the boy he loved him. Sexual conduct then took place, until the boy eventually broke off all contact with Milne.
Category: Focus
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