Sentence for organising child sex tour criticised

The three-year prison sentence handed to a child sex tour organiser should have been longer, a child advocacy group says.

A 48-year-old motel and property owner, whose name is suppressed, was sentenced to three years’ jail for organising a child sex tour to Thailand, in the High Court at Auckland yesterday.

The case is the first of its kind in New Zealand.

The charge related to making travel arrangements for an undercover police officer with the intent that he would have sex with prostitutes under the age of 18.

The organisation against child pornography, prostitution and trafficking, Ecpat, was pleased to see a prison term given but would continue to push for harsher sentences, director Alan Bell said.

‘‘It’s strong enough but we wanted one stronger. But we realise there are difficulties in comparing as there are no previous cases.’’

The only comparable case occurred in Western Australia. In New Zealand, the maximum sentence available for the charge of making travel arrangements was seven years’ prison.

The now-bankrupt motel, property and business owner, stood impassively in the dock as his sentence was read out.

He was earlier cleared of a charge of publishing information to promote child sex tours.

He was arrested after booking flights for himself and officer ‘‘Michael Gray’’, creating an itinerary for Gray, which included visiting known gay sex hotspots, and giving him an explicit Thai phrase card.

The card included phrases such as ‘‘how much for overnight?’’ and ‘‘let’s go to my hotel’’.

Justice Wylie said the offending was not ‘‘the most serious of its kind’’ but the man had little consideration for the effects on the Thai boys who were ‘‘easy targets for exploitation’’.

‘‘Your intentions were to make money,’’ Justice Wylie said. ‘‘Your actions were despicable.’’