The Star: July 20, 2023

The Star Thursday July 20 2023
10
COURT
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Ex-army member invents teenage
daughter to ‘bait’ paedophile
• By Emily Moorhouse
AN EX-ARMY member looking
to satisfy his own shameful
desires “baited” and encouraged
a paedophile by pretending he
had a 14-year-old daughter
and offering the fake girl up for
sex.
But the judge who sentenced
him believes the man has now
“learned his lesson”.
Judge Paul Kellar imposed
a sentence of 10 months home
detention for Kalim Dennis, 36.
The district court heard
yesterday Dennis contacted a
man by text message, asking if
he was interested in having sex
with his non-existent 14-year-old
daughter.
The recipient said he was and
requested a picture.
Dennis sent an image to the
man, to which he replied she was
“hot” and he wanted to have sex
with her.
In the days after the November
2019 communication, the pair
discussed the agreement.
The man asked Dennis if the
girl knew about the arranged sex
and if she was a virgin.
When asked what Dennis
wanted in return, Dennis
stated “talking dirty about my
daughter”.
It was agreed that after talking
sexually about the fake daughter,
she and the man would have
sex.
The two exchanged 1072 text
messages discussing the meeting.
The communication between
them, and several others across
New Zealand, was intercepted
by police and an investigation
dubbed Operation Cobra was
launched.
On December 17, police
searched Dennis’ house and
found he had made web searches
titled “homemade bestiality” and
incest material.
Police found a total of 152
objectionable images, most
containing sexual activity
between adults and animals.
Child sexual exploitation
material was also found.
Dennis admitted to taking part
in the conversation with the man
but said he would “never follow
through” on any of the acts he
described in his messages.
Defence lawyer Kris Bucher
said while Dennis accepted his
messages were “disturbing to
read”, the offending related to
fantasy rather than reality.
Bucher said no actual children
were on offer as Dennis had
invented the teen girl. He had
also taken meaningful steps to
address his behaviour.
He asked the judge to impose
a sentence of home detention,
adding his client was “ashamed
and embarrassed”.
Bucher also asked the judge to
permanently suppress Dennis’
name as publication would result
in “extreme hardship” for his
family.
Crown prosecutor Sean
Mallett opposed the application,
stating Dennis did not meet the
threshold for extreme hardship.
Mallett said Dennis was
“baiting” somebody he knew to
be a paedophile.
Judge Paul Kellar agreed
and added Dennis was also
encouraging demand for such
exploitation.
He said while Dennis had
learned his lesson, there was
a “real need” to deter others
from these types of crimes and
declined his application for
suppression.
Judge Kellar gave Dennis
discounts for his previous good
character, having never been
before the court, his guilty pleas,
remorse, time spent on bail
and steps taken to address his
behaviour such as counselling.
On a charge of offering to deal
in a person under 18 for sexual
exploitation and a representative
charge of possessing
objectionable publications, the
judge imposed an end sentence
of 10 months home detention
with special conditions and six
months standard post-detention
conditions.
Dennis was not placed on the
child sex offender’s register and
the judge ordered forfeiture of
his electronic devices.
The New Zealand Defence
Force confirmed Dennis “was
in the army” but said he was no
longer a member.
“We have no further comment
to make.”
This report was produced
by Open Justice – Te Pātītī,
a Public Interest Journalism
initiative funded by NZ on Air
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