A man who admitted to committing indecent acts on young people said he had to disclose his past in order to be a father to his daughter.
Michael John Lockwood, 41, appeared in Wanganui District Court and pleaded guilty to two counts of doing an indecent act on a young person under 16 and committing an indecent act with intent to insult.
On February 15, 2005, Lockwood was talking to a Child Youth and Family social worker in Wanganui on the phone when he admitted to sexual offending against two girls.
On October 20, 2005, he swore an affidavit in the Wanganui Family Court, further outlining his sexual offences against the young girls, increasing the number of victims to three.
Lockwood said he was between the ages of 30 and 32 when he exposed himself to the girls, all of whom were aged under 16 at the time.
He said he exposed himself to each of the girls about five times, but there was no physical contact.
He said he came into physical contact with one girl, aged between 11-12 between January 2000 and December 2003. The incident with the third girl happened between June and September 2004.
Lockwood's counsel, Stephen Ross, said Lockwood had a young daughter and his former partner was aware of some of his background, which he then admitted to the social worker.
When the pair broke up, court proceedings began over Lockwood's daughter. The court became aware of the allegations and needed disclosure. Lockwood swore an affidavit making admissions to the offending in 2008.
Police became aware of the admissions and the matter went to a defended hearing. He was granted supervised access to his daughter.
It had taken police four years to investigate the matters, during which time Lockwood had sought treatment, Mr Ross said.
Police investigations into the matter found two of the victims said they did not have any recollection of the offending, and did not believe it happened.
Lockwood had always been aware the admissions could result in charges, but knew he had to disclose his past to be a father to his daughter, Mr Ross said.
Judge Dugald Matheson ordered a pre-sentence report and remanded Lockwood for sentence on May 2.