Man supplied girl with alcohol, cannabis

A 12-year-old South Canterbury girl was praised by a District Court judge on Tuesday for getting away from a situation involving an 18-year-old who had supplied her with alcohol and cannabis in his sleepout.

Judge Brian Callaghan was speaking after the girl’s father had expressed his disgust at the defendant’s behaviour in a victim impact statement read to the Timaru District Court before the man was sentenced to four months’ community detention on charges of common assault, supplying cannabis to a person under 18 and supplying alcohol to a minor.

‘‘I commend the complainant for her bravery and courage to know what was happening and to recognise the situation in feeling uncomfortable,’’ Judge Callaghan said. ‘‘It is a credit to your upbringing to know the situation was not right.’’

Judge Callaghan, who issued a suppression order covering identification of the victim and the defendant, said the defendant knew the girl was well under 16 on September 26, 2021, when the incident began through an ‘‘Insta chat’’ and he had asked her if she wanted to get drunk.

The defendant picked up the girl, took her to a sleepout behind a house and supplied her with vodka and cannabis, and she then began to ‘‘feel lightheaded’’.

Judge Callaghan said the summary of facts showed the defendant touched the girl’s hair and legs which ‘‘made her feel uncomfortable’’ and held her arms and put his arms around her waist, making her feel even more uncomfortable.

‘‘She stood up to leave, but you pushed her gently back down . . . she said she wanted to go and ran out to seek help.’’

The judge said the defendant had originally faced a charge involving an indecent act but the charges he had pleaded guilty to were common assault, supplying cannabis to a person under 18 and supplying alcohol to a minor.

‘‘You should have known better,’’ Judge Callaghan said, adding that in respect of the assault, it was hard not to come to the view it may have been heading towards more sinister offending and that was an element of concern.

The girl’s father told the court that what the defendant had done had an impact on her and their whole family.

‘‘It has totally changed her with what he did. She used to be happy and outgoing, go to the park and meet friends. Since this happened she is more withdrawn . . . she no longer goes out, keeps to herself in her bedroom.

‘‘Her school attendance has dropped, and she has spent a lot of time with the school counsellor and has been the victim of online bullying.

‘‘As her father I’ve struggled to see her go through this, and sometimes I just don’t know what to do.

‘‘We are both disgusted at what he did . . . she was only 12, he was an adult. He pursued her, gave her alcohol and drugs.

‘‘I am struggling to believe he didn’t have other intentions...’’

The father believed the defendant had showed little or no remorse for his actions, and urged the judge to impose a sentence that would deter him and others from doing this again.

The defendant’s lawyer, John Black, said his client had no previous convictions and had displayed evidence of remorse in the pre-sentence report when acknowledging the distress of the victim after having given her alcohol and cannabis, along with offering $500 in emotional harm reparation.

‘‘He made some very stupid decisions that night and has learnt a lot,’’ Black said, adding the aggravating features were a degree of premeditation, persistence, the age disparity and the harm suffered by the victim.

Black said his client had stopped cannabis use since, now only had alcohol sporadically and understood the need for any future relationships to be ‘‘age appropriate’’.

Judge Callaghan said the victim had gone through a lot, and he was not surprised at the effect it was having on her at this stage of her life but did say he believed the defendant had shown some remorse and had offered $500 emotional harm reparation.

‘‘Money doesn’t fix these things, but it can go some way.’’

Judge Callaghan said he needed to take into account the young age of the defendant and the fact it was his first offence.

‘‘Community detention, while stern, is appropriate here. It will have a deterrent and work as a step to correct the behaviour.’’