Convicted sex offender free to don whites again

Convicted sex offender Jason Trembath will be able to play cricket once he’s released on parole next week, but won’t be able to coach or hold any other role within the sport.

The former Hawke Cup representative and club player was jailed in 2019 after he groped 11 women on the streets of Hawke’s Bay and Rotorua, and posted images on Facebook of a friend performing a sex act with a passed-out woman.

Information about where Trembath is to be released has been suppressed.

He represented Northern Districts at under-19 and under-17 level in the mid 2000s and played Hawke Cup for a side under Northern Districts jurisdiction.

Northern Districts spans from the Bay of Plenty, to Waikato, and Northland.

Northern Districts acting chief executive Charlotte Twigg said the organisation was ‘‘unable’’ to ban him from playing. She said there would be no other comment from it on Trembath’s involvement with the sport.

During 2016 Trembath played club cricket for Taradale Cricket Club in Hawke’s Bay. Some of his offending occurred during his time with the club.

Central Districts Cricket Association chief executive Pete de Wet said until the association was aware of the ‘‘legal framework around . . . Trembath’s release from prison, we are unable to comment on this matter’’.

He was unable to answer questions whether Trembath would be banned from playing any cricket in Central Districts.

Cricket has a code of conduct process to investigate issues which occur during play.

‘‘The Trembath case falls outside that’’, a New Zealand Cricket spokesperson said.

‘‘In terms of professional players, there are detailed on and off-field misconduct provisions within the men’s and women’s master agreements. These don’t apply to amateur cricket.’’

While Trembath’s playing opportunities may still exist, he won’t be able to coach, umpire or hold ‘‘any role involving responsibility with kids, women or vulnerable persons’’, both Northern Districts and New Zealand Cricket said.