Mason Sakkers (38) appeared for sentence today before Judge Russell Walker at the Invercargill District Court on charges of indecent assault on December 5 in 2020 and doing an indecent act in a public place on October 14 last year.
In the summary read out by Judge Walker, it says a young girl was walking between her grandparents' house and her home in her dressing gown on December 5.
Sakkers, who had been on another street, saw the girl, crossed the road, approached her from behind then lifted up her dressing gown to touch her bare bottom before exposing his penis to her.
In October last year, Sakker saw two children, aged seven and eight, playing on bikes in their front lawn at home.
He walked over to the house, then walked back and forward past the house four times before lifting up his shirt on the fifth walk past, revealing his penis then "tugging" on it, the court was told.
Sakker walked past the house another couple of times before a member of the public spotted what Sakkers was doing and went over and told the children to go back into the house.
The October offence was captured on CCTV.
Judge Walker said the victims were vulnerable and Sakkers' offending was pre-meditated.
‘‘You targeted young victims... children who are simply walking a few doors down the road from their grandparents' home to their own home, or playing with bikes in their own home.
‘‘They should be able to do so without risk of harm from a stranger."
Crown submissions revealed that Sakkers had been convicted of similar offences in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Defence counsel Keith Owen’s submissions included that Sakkers had suffered a head injury, had ADHD and been the victim of similar abuse as a child.
A report completed by the Head Injury Society said Sakkers had seven ACC recognised head injuries as a result of falls and assaults.
Judge Walker also referred to a report which said when Sakkers drank alcohol he couldn’t stop, and another which said alcohol went hand in hand with Sakkers’ sexual offending.
His reoffending risk was assessed as being high.
The judge sentenced Sakkers to 18 months’ jail and gave him a first strike warning.
