NEW ZEALAND
3 News
A former pastor and counsellor jailed for more than 12 years, has done incalculable harm to two girls and their family, a judge says.
Justice Mark Woolford was sentencing James Leyland Watkins, 65, in the High Court at Rotorua on 16 charges of sexual violation, one each of indecently assaulting girls of six and seven, three of inducing a child under 12 to do an indecent act on him and six of sexual violation by rape.
He ordered Watkins to spend at least five-and-a-half years behind bars before he’s to be considered for parole.
The court heard Watkins, a former pastor and counsellor in Rotorua and Tokoroa, had been extradited from Colorado in the United States to face the charges, which spanned a period between 2000 and 2006.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.