Historical serial sex offender on home detention

A man who bore four years of child sexual abuse at the hands of his athletics coach grappled with drugs, alcohol, and pornography addiction over the more than 30 years since he was molested.

‘‘Being sexually aware so young is unnatural and has changed my life,’’ the Auckland man said in a victim impact statement read to the Timaru District Court yesterday.

‘‘This should never have happened but I must continue to live with it.’’

He was aged 12 and under when Franklyn Lloyd Robert

Harwood, a recidivist child sex abuser, assaulted him on camping trips and during a sleepover, between January 1, 1984, and December 31, 1987.

‘‘This has affected me far more than I realised. I’ve had to live with this offending all my life and the impact has become more evident since it is finally being addressed.’’

He was ‘‘extra vigilant’’ over his children’s movements out of fear they would be preyed upon.

He said the ‘‘humiliation of being manipulated and groomed for the defendant’s gratification’’ had damaged his performance at school and left him angry, lacking confidence, and with low selfesteem.

Judge Joanna Maze sentenced Harwood, 80, of Fairlie, to eight months’ home detention.

He had pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection and three of doing an indecency with a boy 12 or under.

Crown prosecutor Anne-Marie McRae said Harwood was a coach at an Auckland athletics club and the victim was a club member at the time of the abuse.

Harwood organised numerous camping trips for the club where he would encourage the victim and his peers to touch each other while he watched. On one occasion, the victim was forced to touch him in front of the others.

When alone with the victim in their shared tent, Harwood molested him.

‘‘Each incident lasted for about five minutes with the victim being told to keep these incidents a secret,’’ McRae said.

Judge Maze said the victim’s age meant he was ‘‘incapable of consent’’ and Harwood breached his position of trust.

The defendant was convicted of similar offending against three boys in 1976, and was further convicted of indecent assaults on seven boys between 1986 and 1990.

He served jail time in 1990 before securing a spot in a sex offender treatment programme.

Judge Maze said he was at low risk of reoffending because of this ‘‘rehabilitation and risk reduction’’ measure, and he had not offended since he was released.

‘‘It is clear that you have consciously expressed your acceptance and remorse for what has taken place.’’

Defence lawyer Thomas Nation said Harwood was ‘‘profoundly sorry’’ for abusing the victim.

‘‘He was distressed to learn of the effect it had on the victim’s schooling. He stresses the victim is entirely blameless.’’

Nation said Harwood would pay an undisclosed amount of reparation to the victim for emotional harm caused, and was ‘‘more than happy’’ to support him in any way possible.