Ean Henry’s indecent act in his car on Halloween lands him home detention

Ean Henry has been sentenced for masturbating in front of two teens who were trick or treating in Christchurch last year.

Warning: This article contains details of indecent offending.

A night of trick or treating turned into a Halloween horror for two young teens when a man parked his car beside them and began indecently touching himself.

The girls had headed out on the evening of October 31, 2024, to doorknock homes in Christchurch as part of their Halloween celebrations.

At the same time, Ean Henry, 47, was driving in Shirley when he stopped at a set of traffic lights and saw the pair walking.

He turned into Warrington St and parked his vehicle. As the teens walked past, they noticed his front passenger window was down.

Through the window, they saw Henry sitting in the driver’s seat with no pants on and masturbating.

They ran into a nearby street and took refuge in a driveway.

After the police were called, Henry told officers he saw the teens and pulled his pants down.

He admitted to “playing with himself” and said he wanted the girls to see him.

This week, he appeared in Christchurch District Court for sentencing on doing an indecent act.

At the hearing, Henry’s explanation of events didn’t wash with Judge Murray Hunt.

“You say you acknowledge it was disgusting and that it was an out-of-body experience,” the judge said. “I doubt it.”

Henry, who has previous convictions for similar offending, had indicated a willingness to attend restorative justice.

But police said it would be too traumatising for the teens to take part, and Judge Hunt pointed out they did not wish to see Henry again.

“They should not have been exposed to your behaviour,” he told Henry.

“It’s serious that you have issues you couldn’t control.”

However, the court heard Henry has now engaged in counselling to address those issues and has a supportive partner.

He was sentenced to three months’ home detention.

Al Williams is an Open Justice reporter for the New Zealand Herald, based in Christchurch. He has worked in daily and community titles in New Zealand and overseas for the last 16 years. Most recently he was editor of the Hauraki-Coromandel Post, based in Whangamatā. He was previously deputy editor of the Cook Islands News.