Threats keep coming from sex offender
Even as he prepared for sentencing for his latest sex offences, Dean James Charlton was issuing threats to the victim.
The threats came in a session with a psychologist who was assessing his future risk.
The psychologist detailed the events in her report to the Christchurch High Court where 38-year-old Charlton today received an open-ended prison term of preventive detention.
The psychologist said Charlton became angry and frustrated during the interview and had difficulty controlling the intensity of his emotions.
“Even when he wanted to create a positive impression, he was still unable to properly manage his own emotions,” Justice Gerald Nation commented at Charlton’s sentencing after he was found guilty by a jury on charges of rape, intentionally injuring the woman, and indecent assault.
He made derogatory comments to the psychologist about his victim, expressed hostility towards women, and made threats to the victim.
Charlton threatened to get a family member who was soon to be released from prison in inflict retribution on her on his behalf.
Justice Nation spoke of Charlton having a sense of “invincibility” with his offending, which arose from a sense of entitlement.
He was convicted in 2001 of taking a woman from the street and raping her in Halswell Quarry, an offence that drew an 11 year 6 month jail term.
His record also includes threatening behaviour, assault on a woman, breach of a protection order, and threats to prison officers while serving his sentence. He threatened to enlist gang members to kill one officer, and made a threat to rape the female partner of another.
In the latest offending, in 2014, a few months after the end of his previous sentence, Charlton strangled a woman until she had trouble breathing, squeezed her breasts until they were bruised, and raped her. He denied the offending at trial but was found guilty.
Crown prosecutor Deirdre Elsmore said preventive detention was the only appropriate sentence in this case until Charlton was willing to take treatment and confront his “attitudinal problems” in terms of women and violence.
Defence counsel Allister Davis said there was a ray of hope in he reports because Charlton had engaged in one-on-one counselling sessions. He urged that a finite term be imposed rather than a preventive detention sentence that could crush all hope.
Justice Nation decided he should impose preventive detention because of the risk he posed to the community, and women in particular.
He said the trend for his sexual and violent offending had become more serious. “The risk will only be reduced if you acknowledge and recognise the threat, the nature of your offending, and address its underlying causes.”
Category: Focus
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