Clinton Dean Harvey, 39, contacted the 15-year-old victim on Snapchat. Photo / Getty Images
WARNING: This story details sexual abuse and may be distressing for some readers.
A teen has described how a man more than twice her age took advantage of her and “helped himself” to her body.
The girl was 15 when she met Clinton Dean Harvey online. He was 39 but told her his name was Simon and that he was 19. .
They began a relationship, but it ended after she discovered the truth about him.
“I feel pretty s... about myself, I don’t trust any males, I wonder what they are going to do to me, I tend to not want to leave the house,” she said as Harvey was sent to jail this week for abusing her.
Harvey showed no emotion as he appeared for sentencing in the High Court at Christchurch on charges of sexual connection with a young person, committing an indecent act with a young person, supplying cannabis, making an intimate visual recording and possession of an objectionable publication.
The court heard Harvey had a history of sexual offending dating back to 2007 and that his victims are getting younger.
It is also believed that other young people may be victims but don’t realise it, following the discovery of indecent material on Harvey’s cellphones.
The pair met on Snapchat and communicated via the social media platform.
Harvey told the victim his name was Simon; he was 19 and worked as a landscaper. He used a filter on Snapchat to appear younger than his true age.
According to the summary of facts, they began a relationship but it ended when the victim discovered his true identity.
The pair engaged in sexual activity, including intercourse, over the course of the eight-month relationship.
Harvey would regularly give the victim money, which she came to depend on.
On multiple occasions, the victim snuck him into her bedroom at night.
One time, she awoke to find Harvey indecently touching her. He continued, despite her telling him to stop.
He then began having sex with her. She froze and told him to stop, but he wouldn’t.
It eventually stopped when the victim pushed him off her.
He also forced the victim to perform oral sex on him.
The victim also spent some time at Harvey’s home, where he would sneak her in so as not to alert his housemates.
Sheallowed sex to happen because she was too afraid of what would happen if she said no.
On multiple occasions, they would smoke cannabis together.
The victim’s mother had never met Harvey and was unaware of his true identity until she was notified by police.
Harvey had refused to meet her and would park down the road from her house when he picked up the victim.
The mother immediately put a stop to the relationship when she found out.
The girl’s mother told the court in a victim impact statement that she had “been to hell and back” since Harvey’s offending came to light.
“It has been heartbreaking having to watch her go through this,” she said.
“She refuses to go out by herself; she has post-traumatic stress disorder.”
When police searched Harvey’s house in June 2024, they found five indecent images of the victim on one of two cellphones identified as his.
She said Harvey pressured her into sending them to him.
Police also found objectionable videos screen-recorded from Snapchat.
Harvey had used the screen recording function on his devices prior to opening a Snapchat message, allowing him to record the image or video without the knowledge or consent of the sender.
He used the technique to get 35 sexually explicit videos, which were located in a “hidden” folder within his cellphones.
Harvey denied sending the victim indecent pictures or engaging with girls under the age of 16.
He told police there had been no sexual activity with the victim and that they had not dated. He also denied supplying her with cannabis.
The Crown asked for a sentence of preventive detention, an indeterminate sentence where Harvey would be managed by Corrections for the rest of his life.
Justice Jonathan Eaton took a starting point of seven years and six months’ jail.
He said the recent offending was prolonged and highly premeditated. His history of sexual offending was also prolonged, with the recent offending showing a shift from adult females to adolescents.
“The impact against your current victim is immense.”
Justice Eaton said other young persons still didn’t know they were victims following the discovery of indecent material on Harvey’s cellphones.
He sentenced Harvey to seven years and one month in jail and ordered him to serve two-thirds of the sentence.
Harvey was placed on the Child Sex Offender Register and would be subject to an Extended Supervision Order on release.
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.