'Bloodsucking vampire' jailed - Man targeted young girls

A Rotorua man who manipulated young girls for sex has been described by a Rotorua judge as wrapping himself in a "little cocoon of fantasy" - claiming to be an infertile witch and bloodsucking vampire.
Ricky Horsburgh, 22, who conned 15-year-old girls into having sex with him and making them mutilate themselves, has been jailed for three years and 10 months.
He appeared for sentencing last week in the Rotorua District Court before Judge Chris McGuire on three charges of unlawful sexual connection relating to girls aged between 12 and 16.
The offending occurred in Palmerston North between July 2008 and March last year while he was on bail for the same type of offending.
He had also breached bail hours after being granted it for the latest charges by being in the company of a minor - he was seen holding hands with a girl under 16 in Rotorua in January.
Horsburgh's lawyer, Martin Hine, said his client had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. He acknowledged the offending happened while Horsburgh was on bail for similar offending.
He also highlighted a psychiatric report given to the court, which said although Horsburgh was 22, he had the mental age of a 16-year-old.
However, Judge McGuire dismissed that, saying he "conned" the report writer. He said Horsburgh's claims to be an "active witch", were "nonsense".
Judge McGuire said Horsburgh was living in a "little cocoon of fantasy that you wrapped yourself in but it has nothing to do with reality at all".
"It's a case of you accepting what is real and what isn't."
Judge McGuire said when one of Horsburgh's victims fell pregnant he told her he had become sterile and this could be the only chance for him to be a father.
She later miscarried and got pregnant to him a second time.
She then learned he had already had a baby to someone else.
 According to a victim impact statement, one of the victims began cutting herself and had 200 scars on her body including one on her wrist that Horsburgh did himself. She said Horsburgh "sucked blood from me".
"He thinks he's a vampire."
She described Horsburgh as "manipulative" and was receiving counselling.
Judge McGuire said that in a probation report, Horsburgh said: "I like dominating partners and enjoy pain being inflicted by them".
Judge McGuire was also concerned a comment he made saying "age shouldn't matter if you truly care about the person".
"It is clear as anything that the relationship you had with your victims had nothing whatsoever [to do] with care at all," Judge McGuire said.
Appearing for the Crown, Laura Owen said Horsburgh had a "great impact" on at least one of the victims. She said he lied to one of the teenagers saying he couldn't father children but got her pregnant twice.
She said the relationships between Horsburgh and two of the victims were "manipulative and controlling" and he even taught one how to "self-mutilate".
Ms Owen said Horsburgh took advantage of the younger women and the fact the charges relate to incidents that happened while he was on bail showed his attitude towards "societal morals" and court rules.
In sentencing Horsburgh, Judge McGuire gave him credit for his guilty plea and acknowledged he had suffered abuse as a child and had a rough upbringing.