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Offender Databases Robert Clifford

Robert Wayne Clifford

Alias

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Offences

3 counts of unlawful sexual connection with a person under 16
1 count of indecent assault on a person under 16
and assaulting a child under the age of 14
All convictions resulted from offending against a Blenheim girl in 2006
Also convicted for possessing an offensive weapon and threatening behaviour
Previous convictions for burglary, theft

Victims

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Offender Affiliations

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Gang affiliations

none known

Age

Born 1971

Current Location

At large in Blenheim

Parole/Release Dates

Sentenced to 3 years 6 months in October 2008

Background
From the Marlborough Express 16th October 2008
Blenheim man Robert Wayne Clifford has been imprisoned for three and a half years for his sexual assaults on a young girl. In the Blenheim District Court yesterday , Judge David McKegg said Clifford had used the aggressive nature of his personality to enforce authority over the girl. The offences occurred over a seven-month period in 2006.

"It's not as if this offending occurred just once in an impromptu way. "This was premeditated and predatory offending by you," Judge McKegg said. Clifford, 37, had initially denied the charges: three sexual connections with a child under 16, one indecent assault on a child under 16 and assaulting a child under 14. He changed his plea and admit them on August 26 this year, the day he was to defend himself in a jury trial. Defence counsel Serina Bailey, from Christchurch, said Clifford deserved credit for confessing his guilt, saving the victim and her family from the emotional distress a trial would have brought.

Miss Bailey acknowledged the offences had impacted hugely on the victim and the victim's extended family. Clifford's own family had suffered, too, she said. Crown prosecutor Janine Bonifant said Clifford needed to be held accountable for the statutory harm he had done to the wider community, as well as the victim and her family.

Aggravating factors included the victim's age, the repetitive nature of the offences and the psychological abuse Clifford applied on her. "The (physical) assault that occurred ... was serious enough for her to black out for 10 seconds or so," Miss Bonifant added. Judge McKegg said a five-year sentence was called for, but he would reduce it by 18 months, given Clifford's guilty plea. However, he said there were no mitigating factors to the offending.

"Children of that age require the care and protection of responsible adults ... you made her into some sort of play thing, a disgraceful way for anyone to deal with a child."Judge McKegg sentenced Clifford to three years and six months prison for sexual connection with a young person, 18 months for indecently assaulting a young person and one year for assaulting a child. All terms will run together.

He also convicted Clifford of two unrelated recent charges: possessing an offensive weapon and threatening behaviour. The sentence for those would be absorbed with the others, Judge McKegg said.

Stuff story 16th October
A man who used what a judge described as his aggressive nature to enforce his authority over a young girl has been jailed for sexual offences against her. Blenheim man Robert Wayne Clifford, 37, initially denied the charges – three of sexual connections with a child under 16, one of indecent assault on a child under 16 and assaulting a child under 14.

He changed his plea and admitted them on August 26 this year, appearing for sentence in Blenheim District Court yesterday. Judge David McKegg said Clifford had used the aggressive nature of his personality to enforce authority over the girl, the Marlborough Express reported. The offences happened over a seven-month period in 2006.

"This was premeditated and predatory offending by you," Judge McKegg said. Judge McKegg said a five-year sentence was called for, but he would reduce it by 18 months, given Clifford's guilty plea. However, he said there were no mitigating factors to the offending.

"Children of that age require the care and protection of responsible adults...you made her into some sort of play thing, a disgraceful way for anyone to deal with a child." Judge McKegg sentenced Clifford to three years and six months prison for sexual connection with a young person, 18 months for indecently assaulting a young person and one year for assaulting a child. The terms were concurrent.

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Corrections and Additional Information
We endeavour to make this database as accurate as possible, but we are at the mercy of whatever information we can find in various online and offline archives. We rely on the public - that is, people like you - to fill in the gaps that we cannot. If you wish to submit additional information or a correction to this file CLICK HERE . Privacy: Trust policy is that all sources are treated as strictly confidential unless we are explicitly told otherwise. If you wish to see a file removed from this database certain conditions must be met by the offender set out HERE Note that this does NOT apply for those that are the primary offender in a murder, rape, or any sexual offending involving minors. We do not enter into correspondence regarding the guilt/innocence of offenders. Such correspondence is not responded to, especially if the offender concerned has a number of prior convictions

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