A respected Christchurch social worker has to pay $3000 to a woman after sneaking into her email account and sending her intimate images he found there with gross and degrading messages.
The woman told the Christchurch District Court that 57-year-old Eugene James McKeown’s behaviour had violated her privacy, and she believed he had intended to blackmail her for sexual favours.
Judge Jane Farish said it was grave, serious offending and she was not surprised that it had a profound effect on the victim. His messages to her were “gross, degrading, and extremely lewd suggestions”.
The woman told the court that her employer had been made aware of “historical personal information” he found in her emails. She had to have a meeting with a senior staff member.
She said her “humiliation and anger” had been overwhelming. “I didn’t know what he was capable of.”
Defence counsel Josh Lucas said in court that McKeown unreservedly apologised to the victim and had begun a course of counselling about “boundary issues” as a result of the offending. McKeown regarded it as a “night of madness”.
Judge Farish said she saw the offending as opportunistic but could not accept that it was spontaneous or impulsive behaviour. It had taken place over several hours once he accessed the woman’s email account.
She rejected McKeown’s application for a discharge without conviction on a representative charge of publishing an intimate visual recording of someone.
She acknowledged that he had done outstanding work as a social worker, and his record was exemplary. But he had had a “brain explosion”.
His employers knew of the prosecution, and it was clear he would be able to continue with his jobs, though there may be less work available to him. He had lost one part-time position as a teacher aide.
“I would imagine some employers would be put off by the conviction, but I don’t accept that all employers would simply look at the conviction and not look behind it.”
Judge Farish sentenced him to 200 hours of community work, which she hoped could be spent on agency placement work. “There are plenty of places where your skills would be valued, and you could do some good within the community.”
She also placed him on supervision for nine months, with a direction that he undertake counseilling and treatment as directed.
She also ordered him to pay $3000 emotional harm reparations to the victim.
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