Man guilty of indecency

Press, 28 May 1983, Page 6

Man guilty of indecency

A man who took a series of nude photographs of a schoolboy who had gone to his home, was last evening found guillty in the District Court of two charges of indecency committed on the boy. After a retirement of four hours the jury found the defendant, Peter Daniel Harrison, aged 37, a sales representative, guilty of the charges of indecently assaulting the boy, aged 15, and of doing an indecent act on him, on January 25. The defendant had denied both charges, and said in evidence yesterday that he had taken nude photographs of the boy, at boy’s

request, but had not touched his body or. indecently assaulted him. Judge Fraser remanded the defendant in custody to June 8 for a probation report and sentence. He lifted the interim order for suppression of his name. Mr C. A. McVeigh appeared for the Crown and Mr D. J. Taffs for the defendant. The trial lasted two days. The defendant, in evidence, yesterday, said the complainant recognised him at a kart centre and approached him. The boy said he was aged 16, and planned to leave school.

The defendant told him of firm in Christchurch which employed school leavers as dark room assistants.

He said the boy caught up with him after he left and asked to go home with him. He showed an interest in some nude photographs on the wall and asked the defendant to take some photographs of him in the nude. The boy voluntarily removed his clothes. The defendant said he took a number of nude photographs. They were not posed indecently. He did not touch the defendant’s body or indeassault him.