Dunedin child sex offender jailed for having a secret mobile, threats

Concerns about the defendant's behaviour led to a warrant being executed, which uncovered a secret cellphone. Photo / Getty Images

A registered child sex offender who was found to have a secret cellphone and threatened to "smash'' his Probation officer has been jailed.

Kimberlee Thompson (35) was originally imprisoned for 20 months in August 2017 after he pleaded guilty to sexual connection with a 15-year-old.

As a result, he was automatically placed on the Child Sex Offender Register, which means he remains under the scrutiny of the Corrections department even after release.

Thompson was released from prison on May 20, 2018 and, because of his risk of reoffending, was scheduled for weekly meetings with his Probation officer.

Counsel Debbie Ericsson told the Dunedin District Court last week the two men had a rocky relationship.

Thompson's frustrations boiled over on September 25 during a routine meeting at Corrections' Stuart St offices.

After he said his nephew had moved into his home, he was directed to sign a letter acknowledging he was barred from contact with under-16s.

Thompson began speaking loudly then threatened to overturn the table at which they were sitting.

"I'm going to smack you in the face," he told the victim.

"The defendant stood up and with his fists clenched stated: 'I will pin you against the wall and smash your face in'," a police summary stated.

As the Probation officer left the room, Thompson told him: "ex-prison officers deserve everything they get".

Concerns about the defendant's behaviour led to a warrant being executed, which uncovered a secret cellphone. Thompson had been using it for four weeks since the start of September, the court heard.

He had failed to inform Corrections of the phone's existence, therefore breaching one of his obligations.

Thompson later pleaded guilty to that, along with a breach of release conditions and threatening to commit grievous bodily harm.

Judge Michael Turner sentenced him to six months' imprisonment.

Thompson is one of 2399 child sex offenders in the country registered since legislation was introduced in 2016.

Corrections data (from September last year) showed 1290 of those offenders were incarcerated.

Earlier statistics placed more than 100 of the country's total (both in prison and out) in the Southern region.