Sex-tour accused made lewd phrase list, court told

Photo / Christine Cornege

An estate agent who allegedly organised sex-tourism breaks in Thailand told an undercover police officer that he had made a "sex" phrase card to aid his trip, a court has heard.

The High Court at Auckland yesterday heard a recording of how the 47-year-old, who has name suppression, allegedly offered the card to the officer.

"Yeah, made up one general one ... and one sex one," says a voice alleged to be that of the accused, caught by the officer on a concealed recording device.

The accused is also alleged to have shown the officer photos of Thai boys, one of whom he described as 14.

"[The estate agent] said he was 14 years old and he had taken him to bed," the officer told the court.

In one of the recordings played to the court, the target of the sting says: "He's 14 and um, he was very, very yummy ... And he was very keen.

"I mean, I couldn't believe it the first time that I um picked up a young guy, probably, I don't know, 14 maybe, um at a park where some of the locals were, and um I said to him oh **** you know, how are we going to, and he said oh we just get a taxi ..."

"The taxi driver turns around and says: 'You know this boy's only 14 ..."'

The accused denies charges of organising and promoting child sex tours - the first such charges in New Zealand. The trial continues.