Sex offender worked with kids
A convicted child sex offender sought by police was discovered working with children at a theatre on Auckland’s affluent Waiheke Island.
Brad Bowers, 28, was on the run from police in Christchurch when he was arrested on the island on August 24. Under the name Cody Harris, he had been working as a volunteer at the Artworks Theatre in Oneroa.
No charges have been laid in connection with his activities on Waiheke.
Bowers was convicted in 2007 for sexually grooming a teenage girl and performing ‘‘indecent acts’’ on her.
In May 2010, he posed as an experienced technician to work with Lower Hutt’s Naenae College pupils and gained access to a school computer that held their personal details. In June 2010, Bowers was sentenced to another 10 months in jail for his involvement in the Naenae College production.
In 2012, Upper Hutt District Court issued three arrest warrants after he went missing in Wellington. He was eventually found in the mental health ward of Hutt Hospital.
Part of his work on Waiheke was assisting Kaleidoscope Performance Inc with productions involving children as young as four.
Kaleidoscope owner Kathy Ogletree said she was in shock after being told by police ‘‘Harris’’ had been arrested.
‘‘We’ve only just found out,’’ she said.
Williams said he announced to the cast of Precipice he would be sponsoring their show to go to SkyCity for two performances because he wanted to show the children on Waiheke ‘‘that there was more out there’’.
Over 700 tickets have been sold for the production, which will still go ahead as planned, according to Kaleidoscope.