A convicted sex offender was living in Wanaka for more than two months before the police found out he had relocated.
Graeme Murray Purvis (55) yesterday admitted being a registrable sex offender, failing to comply with reporting obligations - namely to report a change of address in person to the police case manager 48 hours prior to the move - between January 1 and March 11.
The charge was laid under the Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) Act 2016.
In 2016 Purvis was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment on two charges of possessing objectionable publications featuring girls aged between 9 and 12 in sexualised poses.
In 2013 he was jailed for three years when he took a friend's computer and used it to download pornography and in 2009 he had been imprisoned three and a-half years on 22 offences, including grooming a 15-year-old girl in the North Island.
There had been similar offending in 2002, resulting in an eight-month prison sentence and there had also been an incident involving molestation in 1989.
In the Queenstown District Court yesterday prosecuting Sergeant Ian Collin told Judge Mark Callaghan Purvis is now subject to several requirements, one of which is to alert his police case manager at least 48 hours before changing address.
On November 18 last year he advised he was travelling to Wanaka for work and would be there for a fortnight, returning to Dunedin on December 15.
However, his Dunedin address was checked on March 8 and Purvis was not living there.
Another occupant told police they had moved in about two months earlier, Sgt Collin said.
Police tracked Purvis down on March 11 - he said he had been living at a holiday park in Wanaka while he was looking for alternative accommodation and he "simply forgot'' to update his details after he moved.
Defence counsel Louise Denton said Purvis had gained a good, full-time job in Wanaka and while he had informed he was going to be staying at a motel, he failed to advise he was continuing to stay there.
He then went to a second address, because he could not afford the cost of the motel, and failed to update his address.
"He certainly accepts he should have notified them.''
Ms Denton said while his registration did not "preclude him from staying anywhere'', he was finding it difficult to find long-term accommodation given his "demographic'' and "background''.
Purvis had, however, been in "good communication'' with police since his arrest and they had been assisting him.
Judge Callaghan suspected Purvis had prescribed to the "out of sight, out of mind'' theory, but believed it was offending of "omission, rather than commission''.
"Legislation was enacted to enable the safety of people from people who have a mindset to offend as you have done in the past.
"Compliance is necessary and it's on that basis that the sentence is imposed today.''
While he did have previous convictions for breaching conditions, those were in a "different field''.
Purvis was sentenced to 100 hours' community work.
