A Whangarei mother's appeal that her five-year sentence for sexually abusing a boy was excessive by at least one year has been rejected by the High Court.
Amanda Campbell was sentenced in the Whangarei District Court in May after she was found guilty after a judge-alone trial to one charge 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.
Campbell had sex 10 times with the boy, who was aged between 12 and 16, and also supplied him with a cannabis bong and a cellphone.
Her lawyer Catherine Cull appealed the sentence on the grounds Judge Duncan Harvey adopted an excessive starting point of five and a half years and gave inadequate discount for her prior good character.
Judge Harvey said Campbell's grooming of the boy and other aggravating features justified that starting point.
On appeal, Justice Mathew Downs ruled it was open for Judge Harvey to conclude she
groomed the boy as evidence pointed to the fact her attention was always on him.
Justice Downs said Campbell's offending involved an abuse of trust, a significant age gap between her and the boy, repeated sexual offending, and her actions resulted in significant adverse effects on him.
"This starting point was significant. But so too the offending. Ms Campbell pursued a young victim for her own gratification. She encouraged him to use cannabis and regularly skip school."
Ms Cull pointed to similar cases where lower starting points were adopted but Justice Downs said starting points for sexual conduct with a young person varied.
Campbell's case, he said, had the unusual feature of drug offending which was one ingredient of a much broader pattern of grooming.