A man convicted of charges relating to indecent acts on young people has avoided jail after being deemed an "exceptional case".
Michael John Lockwood, 41, pleaded guilty and was convicted of committing an indecent act with intent to insult and two counts of doing an indecent act on a young person aged under 16, after voluntarily admitting the offences to a Child Youth and Family (CYF) worker in 2005.
The indecent act with intent to insult and one count of doing an indecent act on a young person under 16 occurred between January, 2000 and December 21, 2003. The final count of doing an indecent act on a young person occurred between June 1, 2004 and September 1, 2004.
In Wanganui District Court, Judge David Cameron sentenced Lockwood to 12 months' intensive supervision and, as part of his conditions, he is not allowed to associate with anyone under the age of 16 unless with a person who has been approved in writing by probation.
After confessing to CYF, Lockwood swore an affidavit before the court regarding sexual offending against three victims, admitting to exposing himself to two of the girls, then aged 11 to 12, and 14 to 15.
Of two occasions of physical contact with one girl, aged 11 or 12, one occurred while watching television with her, and placing his hand on her lap, over her crotch. In the second incident, he moved her hand to his exposed crotch. The girl was asleep at the time and likely unaware of what was happening.
With the third victim, aged 14-15, he moved her hand to touch his crotch for around 30 seconds while at the movies.
Two of the three victims were later interviewed and had no knowledge of the incidents. The third victim was deceased. Interviews with her friends and family did not turn up any knowledge of the incident.
Lockwood's counsel, Stephen Ross, said Lockwood had lost his job following his guilty plea.
The victims had not been harmed in his offending, and it appeared that throughout the period of offending, he was able to control himself to a certain extent.
It was the birth of his daughter that led him to reconsider what was happening in his life and he owned up.
Crown solicitor Harry Mallalieu called the case exceptional.
Judge Cameron agreed it was an exceptional case due to the circumstances, and because of that Lockwood would not be going to prison, which ordinarily applied to this type of offending.
It was his first time in court, and his pre-sentence report accepted that he was very remorseful and motivated to access intervention programmes so he could remain offence-free.