A man who admitted sexually violating a young girl told the child if she told anyone what happened both he and the girl’s mother would go to jail.
Christopher Peter Cooke (60) on Friday appeared for sentence in the Invercargill District Court on one charge of unlawful sexual connection between October 2016 and October 2017.
The offence took place while Cooke was living in Invercargill and on a night he had gone to play cards with the girl’s mother at their house.
Judge Duncan Harvey said it was when Cooke went to the toilet he went into the mother’s bedroom where the girl, who was aged between 7 and 8 at the time, was playing.
It was there he sexually violated the girl and afterwards told her if she told anyone both he and her mother would go to jail.
Crown lawyer Mike Brownlie said Cooke had been convicted of sexual offending against another child of a similar age in 2010.
The victim impact statement revealed just what a devastating impact Cooke’s actions had had on the girl, Mr Brownlie said.
Judge Harvey said she had made attempts to take her own life and had been self harming but it now appeared she was starting to recover.
"Sadly though, experience shows to a greater or lesser extent that your offending is expected to affect her for the rest of her life."
An aggravating feature of the offence was the threat made to the girl about her mother going to jail, Judge Harvey said.
"To tell a little girl that if she says a word she will cause her mother to go to jail is an appalling threat."
Cooke’s lawyer Anslem Williams said his client’s offending was not premeditated. He had not groomed the girl. Instead it was an opportunity which presented itself which Cooke took.
He said Cooke had been a chronic alcoholic for many years.
Judge Harvey rejected Cooke’s downplaying of his offending when he told a probation report writer the touching happened on the outside of the girl’s clothing.
Although there was a safety plan in place to try to avert these situations, Judge Harvey said when Cooke drank he was unable to control his sexual urges.
While Cooke had also been abused as a child, the judge said he had made no attempts to seek any assistance.
Judge Harvey sentenced Cooke to three years and two months’ jail.
