Man guilty of sodomy on boy

Press, 14 September 1976, Page 4

Man guilty of sodomy on boy

A 25-year-old psychiatric patient took a 10-year-old boy behind Tattersall’s Hotel and committed sodomy on him on June 22, Justices of the Peace heard during the taking of depositions in the Christchurch Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The man, whose name was suppressed, entered a plea of guilty to the charge and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. He later pleaded guilty to doing an indecent act on a 12-year-old girl and of unlawfully escaping from Sunnyside Hospital. Sergeant J. R. Palmer said that the complainant had gone to town on an errand for his mother and had been followed by the defendant.

The boy was pulled into an alley by the defendant and was there sodomised. Dr K. J. O’Connor, who later examined the boy, said that there had been evidence of an assault, but that the boy had suffered no injury. Detective Sergeant J. C. Crookston said that on June 29 a 12-year-old girl was walking from Cathedral Square when the defendant began following her. He later took her behind a church and indecently assaulted her. The defendant escaped from Sunnyside Hospital on August 24. When interviewed by’ the police the defendant said that he committed the acts because he was upset, and planned to commit suicida.