Sex offender jailed for helping at food bank
A food bank official says he feels responsible for sex offender Allen Malsen’s latest jail term because he made the request for help that got the 31-year-old in trouble again.
Malsen, also known as Alan Gilbert Wilson, was jailed for nine months by Judge Bernadette Farnan in the Christchurch District Court, after admitting his 11th breach of his extended supervision order.
The official from the 0800-HUNGRY food bank had written a letter to the court ahead of the sentencing, telling how he felt responsible, and Malsen had two supporters – one of them a nun – in the court room.
Judge Farnan told them they had to make sure that Malsen and they themselves really understood the rules relating to the ESO, and abided by them.
In this case, the food bank where Malsen was helping found itself short of a driver and Malsen was asked if he would drive to various addresses. He drove and the other volunteer made the deliveries.
Malsen only got out of the car at one point to have a cigarette, but the voluntary work visiting people’s houses was in breach of his condition not to do any work without the Community Probation Service’s permission.
Defence counsel Michael Starling said the prosecution arose because of someone’s social media campaign against Malsen on Facebook.
“He is a person who is well known to the media and the public, and if he does anything wrong, it gets widespread publicity,” said Mr Starling. The offence had arisen “from him thinking he was doing someone a favour”.
Malsen has not committed any sex offences since 2000 when she was jailed on 22 sex charges involving four children. Seven charges related to a two-year-old girl.
An ESO was issued for a 10-year-period in 2005. Some of his breaches of the order involve having contact with under 16-year-olds, and other relate to doing jobs without probation approval.
Judge Farnan noted the present ESO was due to expire in February 2019.
She jailed him for nine months, and told him that with time already served in custody on remand since his guilty plea in February, he could expect to be released in about a month.
She said: “Mr Malsen and the people supporting him have to be particularly vigilant to ensure that he sticks to the provisions of the ESO without variation, or he will be back before the court.”
She believed she saw indications of Malsen’s remorse and an increasing level of insight into his offending.
Category: Focus
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