Dunedin man posed as priest abusing children online

June 26, 2020

A Dunedin man posed as a priest while fantasising with others online about violating children, a court has heard.

Andrew Lee Gardner, who has his own computer repair business, was jailed for six months when he appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday — his third time in the dock on sex offences.

He was first convicted in 2007 of sexual connection with a young person, indecent assault and possessing an objectionable publication.

Gardner was ordered to attend the STOP sex offender programme in Christchurch as part of his sentence but the court heard yesterday he was evicted because of his negative attitude.

Judge Kevin Phillips noted the man thought his offending was less severe than others in the group and became disengaged.

Untreated for his sexual predilections, Gardner was again before the court in 2010 for grooming.

Yesterday, the court heard the defendant initially came to the attention of Canadian authorities for his conduct on a chat website under the username "tkoguynz".

Gardner used the site from early 2018 to conduct "age-play", which involves two or more users fabricating an illegal scenario with a child, then describing the sexual liaison.

"It's clear this age-play can promote sexual exploitation of young persons and children," the judge said.

Gardner would ask other users to pose as girls between the ages of 8 and 13, then they would commence the role play.

When New Zealand authorities raided the defendant's home he shared with his mother, they seized electronics which cast further light on his activities.

Gardner, forensic analysts found, had also been using a social-media platform to commit similar offending.

Over three months in mid-2018, he asked 96 users to participate in age-play — 12 agreed.

Gardner pretended to be a male neighbour or a priest and prompted others to act as a "cute and curious" 9-year-old, for example, whom he would des...

Read the rest of the story here.

Spread the Word!
Sign in if you'd like new recruits to be credited to you.

Showing 1 comment

Anthony Dawe commented 2020-06-26 18:29:07 -0500
v i l e

Donate Report Abuse to your AG

Winter Appeal 2023

To our friends,

2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’

At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.

To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.

Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.

Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.

Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!

Warmly,

Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.

Interim Executive Director

Share Your Story Get Help Now Locations

Join our mailing list!

Protect the vulnerable. Heal the wounded. Prevent the abuse.

Survivor

Supporter

Country