Man used alias on social media to prey on girls

A 44-year-old man has been jailed for sexual offending against teenagers after using a fake alias to lure his victims to meet him under the pretence of paying them to perform sexual acts.

Hamish Clark was sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison in Tauranga District Court on Thursday by Judge

Stephen Coyle. Clark pleaded guilty in January to two counts of sexual connection with a young person, four charges of indecent acts with a young person, exposing a young person to indecent material and having an objectionable publication.

He had used a fake alias of a 17-year-old boy named Jack Lewis to initially interact with his three victims on social media.

The fake alias was used to introduce the girls to a false older cousin who could pay them to perform sexual acts. But the older cousin was Clark.

Clark met all three of the victims, aged between 13 and 14 years old at the time of the offending, at school while they were still in school uniform.

After searching Clark’s property, police found 200 sexual abuse images and up to 90 videos including some involving young girls. One image involved a child as young as 4 years old.

Victim impact statements read in court on Thursday highlighted the damage caused to those involved and their loved ones. One parent spoke of how their family’s ‘‘world has crumbled’’ due to the offender’s actions.

Coyle said after a psychological assessment it emerged Clark had attempted to deceive the author of the report regarding a previous charge for indecent exposure involving young girls. He said only ‘‘ruthless honesty’’ would demonstrate true remorse from Clark.

Clark will serve a minimum period behind bars of two years and six months, after which he will be eligible for parole.