Man's offending 'sends shivers down spine'

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The "sinister undertones" of a man following a woman and a teen girl in Rotorua trying to get them into his ute has been described by a judge as sending "shivers down the spine".

Paul Andrew Tulafono, 48, pleaded guilty in the Rotorua District Court yesterday to four charges - three of preparing to commit a crime and one of offering cannabis - and was sentenced to 100 hours' community work and supervision.

The court heard Tulafono, a concrete truck driver living in Rotorua, has a background of serious sexual offending in Auckland which he served a lengthy jail term for.

Judge Maree MacKenzie said while the current charges were not of a serious nature, there were always concerns when someone offended in this way when they had a history of sexual offending.

"It sends shivers down the spine of females in the community," Judge MacKenzie said.

"Your past is going to come back to haunt you."

Judge MacKenzie said Tulafono was driving along Miller St at 10.15am on May 25 when he pulled up alongside a woman walking towards Clinkard Ave.

He asked the woman if she would like a ride and she declined. She carried on walking but he drove alongside her and asked her again. He also offered her cannabis but she declined.

Judge MacKenzie said Tulafono persisted and drove up to the woman again offering her a puff of a cannabis joint and asking her to get in his vehicle.

He offered to go somewhere quiet with her and "park up" but the woman again declined and kept walking, the judge said.

Tulafono eventually left her alone and said he would catch up with her again.

Judge MacKenzie said Tulafono approached a 16-year-old girl in his white ute on July 22 at 2.30pm. She was walking along Clayton Rd and he asked if she would like some company. The girl declined.

Six days later the same girl was walking along Malfroy Rd when Tulafono pulled alongside her in his white ute and asked if she wanted a ride, the judge said.

She said the girl recognised him as being the same man and got the car's registration number.

Judge MacKenzie said the police used that to find Tulafono and went to his home, where he admitted what he had done and that he shouldn't have done it.

"Obviously what has caused disquiet is your history," Judge MacKenzie said.

She said Tulafono was jailed in 2005 after facing charges in the High Court at Auckland including unlawful sexual connection, methamphetamine charges and abduction of a female over 16 for sex.

Judge MacKenzie said she needed to impose a sentence that was a deterrent as well as one that offered rehabilitation.

"Nothing sinister happened but there is some sinister undertones."

For the charge of preparing to commit a crime on May 25, she said that charge only carried a penalty of a fine so she convicted and discharged him.

For the charges relating to the 16-year-old girl in July and offering cannabis to the woman on May 25, the judge sentenced him to 100 hours' community service.

She said she took all four offences into account when handing down that sentence.

She also ordered a period of 12 months' supervision for him to attend and complete a psychological assessment and any other drug and alcohol and sexual offending programmes and counselling deemed appropriate.