The news that a Dunedin man has been jailed for 10 years in Fiji for child sex offences has been applauded by the anti-child prostitution lobby here.
Rex Cameron Macrae, 49, had denied eight charges of indecent assault on two girls aged 11 and 13 and one charge of pornography. But
Nadi magistrate David Balram convicted him on three charges of indecent assault and the pornography charge.
Mr Balram said in court yesterday that the case was the worst he had presided over in eight years as a magistrate. He said young girls must be protected from sexual exploitation and abuse.
He said the case was especially disturbing in that Macrae had used a syringe, rubber and vibrator on his victims.
The court was told that Macrae arrived in Fiji on December 3, 2000, and over the next three days he committed the offences in a Nadi hotel.
He took a nude photograph of the 11-year-old in the room, then started to fondle and kiss her.
In a statement to police, Macrae said he saw nothing wrong in taking a nude photo of the girl.
Mr Balram criticised two employees at the hotel where the incident took place, saying their statements supported Macrae.
"This court believes that they (hotel employees) knew what was going on in Room 204 - Macrae's room," Mr Balram said.
Defence lawyer Rajesh Gordon asked the court to discharge Macrae and deport him or hand down a suspended sentence and send his client home.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for New Zealand anti-child sex lobby group ECPAT said today that with authorities clamping down on many Asian destinations, the Pacific region is fast becoming the latest target area for pedophiles.
"We are concerned that sexual predators are increasingly using the Pacific Islands for their activities", said ECPAT spokesperson Denise Ritchie.
She said child sex offenders are starting to target
the Pacific Islands, with their warm climate, beach lifestyle, and naive vulnerable children.
- NZPA, FIJI VILLAGE NEWS
