A Marlborough sports coach facing a raft of charges relating to sexual offences against children has had four more charges laid against him.

Photo: Anthony Phelps/Stuff

The new charges relate to alleged events that happened between July 2014 and August 2022.

The new offences are carrying out an indecent act on a child aged 12, and three charges of sexually violating a girl under 12.

The man, who has interim name suppression, was due to appear at Blenheim District Court on Monday, but his case was adjourned. The reasons for the adjournment were unknown.

The man, in his 60s, now faces a total of 35 charges relating to alleged events between January 2002 and September 2023. The alleged offending involved at least four children.

He first appeared in court on September 6, 2023, charged with two counts of sexual violation. The charges related to alleged events just days earlier, on September 2 and 3.

He was granted bail, with conditions to not be in contact with any member of the sports club, to not attend any of the club’s events, to not contact the alleged victim, and to not be in the presence of a child without the consent of an adult. The man was also ordered to possess only one cellphone, to provide police with an access code to the cellphone, and to provide police with his IP address.

At the time, the man was granted interim name suppression after his lawyer, Marcus Zintl, said publication of his client’s name would cause “extreme hardship” to the man, with a “risk he could lose his job”.

Two weeks later another 24 charges were laid against him, and he was taken into custody. Ten of those charges included sexual violation of a female under 12, relating to alleged events between November 2019 and January 2023. Ten were charges of making objectionable material between August 2020 and September 2023. The other four charges were possessing objectionable publications, namely child exploitation material, between January 2002 and September 2020.

On October 9, the man was charged with a further five charges relating to offences allegedly carried out between December 2008 and August 2023.

These were indecent assault on a child aged 11, sexual violation, making an objectionable video, and two charges of an indecent act on a child aged 9.

The man remains in custody.

By Marlborough court reporter
Published in Stuff
05/12/2023