Jailed blackmailer claimed ‘sex addiction’ as motive
A clinical psychologist has ruled out “sex addiction” as the motive for a 22-year-old’s manipulation and threats that led to charges of blackmail and fraud.
Christchurch District Court Judge Jane Farish told James Charles White: “It was lucky that your victims weren’t able to carry through their attempts on their lives.”
What White saw as his sex addiction has led to months of carnage for him and those involved with him, and now he has begun a 25-month prison term after admitting his sentencing.
He had admitted charges of blackmailing one gay sexual partner, and obtaining sexual services from another young and vulnerable victim by deception by offering large amounts of money which were never paid. The offences took place in Christchurch.
The judge reduced the sentence for White’s early guilty pleas, his offer to pay emotional harm reparations, and the fact that one of the victims and two other men had dealt out some summary justice to end White’s continuing harassment and threats.
But she said that the final sentence was still beyond the range for home detention and she would not have granted it anyway.
She told him: “Blackmail is an insidious crime, one with a very high penalty. It can have long and strong effects upon the victim.”
When he was interviewed by the police, White had said he had a sex addiction and was getting help.
But defence counsel Phillip Allan said the clinical psychologist’s view was that there was no such thing as sex addiction.
Instead, White had tried to have sexual arrangements with the two teenage victims as part of his desire to feel wanted and needed.
Mr Allan urged that a home detention sentence be imposed.
Crown prosecutor Aja Trinder said convictions imposed on the two men who had gone with the victim who had assaulted and robbed White at an arranged meeting in Blenheim had been overturned on appeal and they had been discharged without conviction.
That victim had also been discharged without conviction after the robbery charge had been reduced to assault and theft.
The court was told that one of victims had set himself up as a male escort, and the other was a vulnerable 17-year-old who had been offered money for sex by White. The court was told of the victims drinking heavily, self-harming, or attempting suicide as a result of their contact with White and his harassment of them.
White threatened to release photographs of one complainant and expose what he had been doing if he did not resume the relationship.
Judge Farish said the clinical psychologist assessed White as having low self-esteem. He did not cope with being rejected. He appeared to equate positive sexual encounters with feelings of being needed and acceptance.
She jailed him and ordered him to pay $3000 to one victim and $1000 to the other as emotion harm reparations.
Category: News
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