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Offender Databases Howard Kitching

Howard Vivian Kitching

Alias

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Offences

11 sexual offences against young girls dating back to 1965.
Convictions in 1965, 1969, 1972, and 1973 for offending against children aged from 5 to 9 years
Paroled in 1985 but recalled after re-offending some three days after release against a child in a public place.
Paroled again in October 2006 under strict conditions, recalled for breach of those conditions, paroled again in May 2008, reoffended again, this time against a 95 year old woman in a rest home nearby

Victims

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Offender Affiliations

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Gang affiliations

none known

Age

Born 1946

Current Location

Prison

Parole/Release Dates

Sentenced to preventive detention (7 years non parole at that time) in December 1974
Was released 1985, reoffended 1985
Paroled October 2006, breached his conditions, back inside
Rereleased May 2008, reoffended, back inside again
Sentenced to preventive detention with a 5 year minimum parole period in August 2009

Background
NZ Herald story here and also here and here with the latest sentence detailed here
A quote from the latter story; "Parole Board chairman Judge David Carruthers told the Herald on Sunday the board had held a six-hour hearing into Kitching. "Our job is the safety of the community, and in this case the board makes no apologies for what to date has been a highly successful release ... and I believe no one is unsafe because of this release."

The Dominion Post Saturday, 16 February 2008
A child-sex offender placed under police surveillance has been allowed to stay in the community after the Parole Board found no evidence that he was a risk.

Corrections asked the board to recall Howard Vivian Kitching, 61, after police watched him at the gateway to his Auckland home at the time children walked to and from school. But the board was told that Kitching, who is under strict 24-hour, seven-day supervision, was engaged in "mundane household activities" and showed no interest in children. After considering the evidence for six hours, he was allowed to stay in the community.

Kitching was freed on parole 16 months ago, after serving 32 years of a sentence of preventive detention for indecent assault on young girls. He may not leave his central Auckland home unless accompanied by an approved adult, and is receiving specialist sex-offender treatment twice a week. He is subject to parole conditions for life and can be recalled to prison at any time. Concerns were raised after an off-duty police officer, jogging past his house, claimed he saw Kitching "taking an unusual interest in passing schoolchildren" as he stood smoking at the end of his driveway, last September.

Police placed him under covert observation for a week, watching his house just before 9am and again at 3pm as children passed his home on the way to and from school. "On no occasion, and while he was unaware he was being watched, was there any apparent interest in or engagement with children," the board said.

A Corrections psychologist told the board Kitching's behaviour was an indication of escalating risk and the department asked the board to recall him to prison. He has 11 convictions for offending against young girls, mostly indecent assault, since 1965. In 1974, he was sentenced to preventive detention on two charges of indecent assault. He was freed on parole in 1985, but within three days offended and returned to prison. During that term, he completed treatment programmes. Kitching told the board he was no longer interested in young girls and had had no dealings with them for 22 years.

Board chairman Judge David Carruthers said the board's job was the safety of the community. "In this case the board makes no apologies for what to date has been a highly successful release. There have been no breaches whatsoever of parole conditions, and I believe no one is unsafe because of this release."

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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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