MEDIA RELEASE
20 July 2012

Comedian to be resentenced today – let justice prevail

“Hopefully justice will prevail today when the comedian who admitted sexually abusing his daughter and received no conviction is resentenced” says Leonie Morris, spokesperson for the Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children.

The Coalition picketed outside the Auckland District Court last September when the comedian was discharged without conviction by Judge Cunningham. The Judge said at the time that the offender’s ability to “make people laugh” contributed to her decision. The Coalition was pleased when a High Court decision in April by Justice Murray Gilbert ruled the man should be resentenced.

Gilbert agreed with Crown submissions that the consequences of a conviction did not outweigh the offending and that the judge did not take into account that the guilty plea meant the man had admitted he intended to carry out an indecent act on his daughter. He also said the fact the man was drunk should not have been a factor in the original decision.

The victim impact statement recorded that the impact on the man's daughter was severe, the judgement shows.

Child sexual abuse is a very serious problem in Auckland. A study of child sexual abuse Found

• 23.5% of Auckland women reported a history of child sexual abuse • The median age of victims at the time of the first sexual abuse was 9 years • In 50% of cases abuse occurred on multiple occasions • In the majority of cases perpetrators were male family members • The study also found that victims of child sexual abuse are twice as likely as nonvictims to experience later intimate partner violence • The cost of child sexual abuse in New Zealand was estimated to be $2.6 billion per year • 91% of child sexual offences are not reported to the Police

We are hoping that the outcome of today’s case sends the message that offenders cannot escape from the consequences of committing illegal and deplorable acts of sexual violence, and that the protection of our children is more important than the continuation of an offender’s career.

The offender should be convicted and directed to attend sexual offender treatment and alcohol counselling.

ENDS

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