NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand Herald
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A former Rotorua pastor who was extradited from the United States to face child sex abuse charges has been jailed for more than 12 years.
James Leland Watkins, 65 was sentenced in the High Court at Rotorua yesterday to 12 years and three months’ imprisonment after previously admitting 27 charges of sexual abuse against two victims, including six counts of rape.
The offending happened in Rotorua between 2000 and 2006, and the majority of the charges were representative, meaning the offending happened more than once.
His sentence carries a minimum non-parole period of five years and six months.
Watkins was extradited from the United States to face the charges. An American-born New Zealand citizen, he had returned to live in his country of birth in 2006.
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