Woman fined for buying teen daughter vodka

Photo / File

A North Shore woman who bought her 14-year-old daughter a bottle of vodka and took her to her boyfriend's house while his parents were away has been fined.

The 41-year-old mother, who cannot be named because it may identify the victims, pleaded guilty to five charges of supplying alcohol to children and one count of distributing an objectionable publication.

The Crown dropped more serious charges of conspiring to commit sexual conduct and failing to protect a young person, which carried a potential jail term.

Crown prosecutor Tim McGuigan said the woman had followed a "conscious course of conduct over a prolonged period" at the start of last year, during which she would buy alcohol for her teenage daughter and her school friends.

North Shore District Court heard how on one occasion the defendant purchased a bottle of vodka for her daughter and the girl's 15-year-old boyfriend and took her to his address knowing the parents were away for the evening.

The children subsequently engaged in sexual activity, Judge Brooke Gibson said.

Facts surrounding the objectionable publication matter were "somewhat unusual", according the judge.

The mother sent pictures of genitalia infected by sexually-transmitted diseases to the teenage couple.

"She did so with no intention of corrupting but because she was concerned they were engaging in sexual activity and wanted them to be aware of possible consequences," the judge said.

The woman's lawyer John Munro called it "misguided as opposed to the truly appalling" and argued his client should be discharged without conviction.

Mr Munro said she travelled abroad with work and was planning on heading overseas at least twice this year with her children's sporting activities.

A conviction would make this difficult, he said, as well as any bid to find future employment.

But Judge Gibson dismissed the argument as "merely speculative" and convicted the woman on all six charges.

As a result of the charges her children had been taken from her by Child, Youth and Family for six weeks and she had undergone extensive therapy.

Her psychologist's report, supplied to the court, said she had tried befriend her children instead of parenting them but had since changed her mind-set.

"She may well have been put under pressure by the teenage boys for whom she supplied alcohol but part of being a parent is to resist that pressure," the judge said.

The mother of a boy who had been targeted by the defendant in 2013 was more sceptical about her prospects of rehabilitation.

"I'd be so surprised if it stopped," she said.

After checking her 13-year-old son's Facebook account she found about 1800 messages from the defendant - most of a sexual nature.

"I am disgusted by her actions and can only assume she is a very disturbed person."

She went to the police and the woman was given a warning.

Today the defendant was fine $2450.