A man with a penchant for committing indecent acts was caught filming a woman getting changed in a Salvation Army store.
Paul Edwards has a conviction dating to 2006 for doing an indecent act. Other offending was carried out while living in Australia between 2019 and 2021.
But it was while at a Salvation Army store in Hamilton last year that Edwards succumbed to old behaviours and got his cellphone out to film the victim as she got changed.
The 38-year-old appeared in the Hamilton District Court for sentencing on charges of doing an indecent act with intent to insult, injuring with intent and resisting arrest in relation to a separate incident.
Edwards had already accepted a sentence indication from Judge Philip Crayton of 14 months’ jail with the option of home detention to be considered.
‘I’m sorry’
Edwards was in the Salvation Army’s Hamilton East store about midday on July 10 last year when the victim went into a changing room to try on some clothing.
She spotted the phone and burst out of the room when Edwards abruptly stood up.
The victim confronted him, and he apologised before leaving in a hurry.
When spoken to by police Edwards, who was found with meth, a meth pipe, and cannabis, apologised and said he felt like he was “relapsing”.
Judge Crayton earlier told Edwards that although this offending had elements of opportunistic behaviour, his criminal history identified that he would “seek occasions when opportunity arises or presents, and certainly going into a store where clothes are going to be tried on is the clearest indicator of putting yourself in a position to offend”.
In 2019, while in Australia, Edwards was jailed for three years on a charge of doing an indecent act with intent to insult and making recordings of a similar nature to his latest offending.
The following year, he was again jailed on two charges of making recordings in public breach of privacy, and jailed again in 2021 for doing an indecent act in a public place.
His assault charge involved his partner and mother to their four children, whom he assaulted in March last year after she responded to a male friend’s Facebook story, and he accused her of cheating on him.
The victim mimicked him, which only enraged Edwards further, so he stood up and punched her “hard” in the side of the face, knocking her off her chair and leaving her with a black eye.
She called police the next day after he continued to verbally abuse her.
‘He’s been clean for the past couple of months’
Edwards’ counsel Raewyn Sporle said the offending was driven by his meth habit but he’d told her that he has been “clean the past couple of months”.
“You can see he’s a different person, and he knows he’s got a lot to lose,” she said, referring to his four children.
She said he had a good job when he was in Australia and “did really well,” and now wanted to move on and put this offending behind him.
‘This is your final warning’
Judge Crayton told him that when he used meth his risk of violence was “significant”.
While he hadn’t reoffended since being arrested, this was his last chance to see the outside of a jail cell.
“I’m giving you a final warning.
“You need to understand me clearly. You are getting a chance, it will be your last chance.
“Please do not think that’s an idle threat.”
Edwards’ sentence of seven months’ home detention would also be judicially monitored.
