Court says rehabilitation better than prison for Taihape man who did indecent acts with children

Aidan Bowyer avoided going to prison when he was sentenced by Judge Gregory Hikaka after pleading guilty to two charges of doing an indecent act on a child under 12. Photo / Bevan Conley

A judge has ruled that imprisonment would not assist an offender in gaining the rehabilitation he needs to ensure the community is protected from him.

Aidan Bowyer appeared in Whanganui District Court on Wednesday for sentencing after pleading guilty to doing indecent acts with two children under 12 years old.

Bowyer, 33, first offended between October 1, 2015, and February 29, 2016, when he exposed himself to a 7-year-old girl in Hastings.

The mother of the victim did not appear in court; however, a victim impact statement written by her was read out by a court victim's adviser.

The victim's mother said Bowyer had caused unimaginable harm to her daughter.

"Thanks to your abhorrent actions she now experiences regular bouts of anxiety and sadness. She has also become hypervigilant.

"Instead of being full of wonder and curiosity at the world and the people she meets, she is bogged down with caution, distrust and fear."

Bowyer's offending continued in Taihape in 2018 when he blindfolded a 6-year-old and attempted to coerce her into performing a sex act on him.

She did not comply, therefore Bowyer made no physical contact with either of his victims.

Lawyer Jamie Waugh said Bowyer was a truck driver in Taihape, where his mother was a pillar of the community.

Judge Gregory Hikaka said Bowyer's mother made concerning comments when she attended an interview between her son and a report writer who was preparing an advice to court report.

"There was something concerning in comments made in that report in what appeared to be your parents' attitude to your offending. The report writer described it as collusive and dismissive.

"Your mother was present during the interview and at one point during the interview said that it was a waste of time."

In a later affidavit, Bowyer's mother said it had been a stressful time as her son's trial approached and she apologised for her comments.

Bowyer originally pleaded guilty to four charges and a jury trial began on June 11, but it was aborted due to a procedural issue two days later.

The prosecution and defence settled on two charges before a sentence indication was requested and Waugh entered guilty pleas to both charges for his client.

Bowyer had previous convictions for possessing utensils to consume cannabis, behaving threateningly and being an accessory to the fact.

He also came to the attention of police for possessing objectionable material in 2012 and 2014. The judge said it was not clear if that involved child pornography.

Judge Hikaka said that Bowyer's affidavit explained how difficult he found it watching one of the children give evidence, that he accepted his guilt and was sorry for the suffering and harm he had caused.

"Sexual offending against children is one of the worst things that you could do to a child," Judge Hikaka said.

"Fortunately there was no actual contact made with either child, but the context is most concerning.

"Your time in custody would not assist the sort of rehabilitation that you need to engage in to ensure that the community is protected from any deviant tendencies that you may have."

Judge Hikaka sentenced Bowyer to six months' community detention and two years' intensive supervision.