A 62-year-old Dunedin man charged with grooming has been granted bail.
Evan Hedley Smith has been charged with sexually grooming a 14-year-old between 5 September and 20 December this year. Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
Evan Hedley Smith has been charged with sexually grooming a 14 year old between 5 September and 20 December this year.
He did not seek name suppression when he appeared before a registrar in the Dunedin District Court this morning.
He was granted bail with the conditions he has no contact with anyone under the age of 16, does not use the internet or any internet-capable devices including mobile phones, and he is subject to an 8pm-7am curfew.
He was arrested yesterday after a three-month police operation into suspicious approaches toward school children around Dunedin.
Detective Sergeant Regan Boucher thanked the public for coming forward with information following police pleas for help after a series of suspicious approaches earlier this year.
"We know offending of this nature can cause a lot of concern so we're very thankful to all those who came forward with information, enabling us to help make our communities safer for all, especially our young people," he said.
"We actively encourage parents to tell their children and young adults to report anything that makes them feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
"Anyone who has concerns for their safety or the safety of their loved ones should call 111 immediately."
Police have not said how Mr Smith was linked to the approaches or which approaches he was specifically believed to be linked to, as many were reported after police released information about the first approach in early September.
That approach occurred in Dunedin's western hill suburb of Halfway Bush. A man in his vehicle approached a young girl on her way to primary school and was scared off by a member of the public.
The following week another girl was approached by a man in his vehicle, this time pleading for help to find a lost puppy. She refused.
The charge Mr Smith faces carries a maximum sentence of seven years' jail.
He will next appear in court on 1 February.
