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Offender Databases Keith Curry

Keith Paora Curry

Alias

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Offences

Sexual grooming (x2) of two Whangarei, Northland girls aged 14 and 15 via the internet and text messaging between June and September 2009

Victims

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Offender Affiliations

.

Gang affiliations

none known

Age

Born 1964

Current Location

At large

Parole/Release Dates

Sentenced to twelve months in May 2010

Background
NZ Herald story here
Northern Advocate story, 14th May 2010
New Zealand's first male Plunket nurse was jailed yesterday for grooming two girls for sex. Keith Curry claimed he was just researching cellphone safety for his studies.

The Whangarei District Court refused home detention for Curry, 46, of Omapere, after he earlier pleaded guilty to two charges of sexually grooming girls aged 14 and 15 from a Whangarei school, via internet and text messaging.

He was hired by Plunket as its first male nurse in May 2005, but resigned in October that year to pursue other interests. Curry is still registered with the Nursing Council of New Zealand and his annual practising certificate expires on September 30, 2010.

During sentencing yesterday, Judge Simon Maude said Curry showed a complete lack of remorse, which stood in the way of his rehabilitation. Judge Maude said Curry pretended to be an 18-year-old named Sebastian when he sought sexual relationships with girls through the social networking site Bebo. Both victims contacted Curry on Bebo between June and September 2009 and later exchanged text messages.

Curry asked about their sexual habits and described his own and organised meetings, some of which he later cancelled. One of the victims met Curry and he gave her alcohol and party pills. She ended the meeting because she was concerned that he looked a lot older than he had indicated on the website.

Curry argued his criminal offending was part of "empirical research" he was doing as part of his studies, which included research on cellphone safety. Crown prosecutor Duncan Coleman said the offences were serious and the girls were vulnerable. He said the text messages spoke for themselves. It was inappropriate for Curry to blame the girls, he said.

Defence lawyer John Day said home detention was appropriate because Curry was a first-time offender and had pleaded guilty early. Mr Curry was supported in court by Reverend Delos Naera from the South Hokianga Anglican Parish. Reverend Naera said his church had decided to wholeheartedly support Curry until he was dealt with by the court.

Curry was a competent Maori speaker and a valuable member of his whanau and the community in the Hokianga, said Reverend Naera. But Judge Maude said aggravating features of Curry's offending was the abuse of trust, the vulnerability of victims and the level of pre-meditation involved.

Judge Maude fixed a starting point of 18 months and reduced it to one year as the end sentence. Curry's current employer, Kaikohe Care Centre, refused to comment on his employment status. The Nursing Council of New Zealand will receive a notice of Curry's conviction from the court - standard practice when a nurse has been sentenced for an offence that is punishable by imprisonment for a term of more than three months.

Plunket chief operating officer Angela Baldwin said Curry worked for the organisation for a very short time in 2005. "He left during his orientation period, which all our nurses undergo alongside a more experienced Plunket nurse. He left of his own accord," she said.

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Corrections and Additional Information
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