Sleeze-bag flees the country

New Zealand doesn't appear to consider child sex offenders as dangerous, for here we have a case of a convicted sleeze-bag being able to flee the country prior to sentencing. Though, I wouldn't really call him a child sex offender as such, as the girls in question were teenagers.

A convicted child molester facing up to five years in prison for attacks on two young girls has managed to obtain a bogus passport and skip the country ahead of sentencing.

And he appears to have left his wife facing the rap for allegedly helping him get it.

Interpol has been called in to track down Christopher Ian Crause, 47, of Hamilton, who was found guilty at trial of four counts of sexual connection with an underage girl, four of doing indecent acts with an underage girl and two of supplying cannabis to a person under 18, in Hamilton District Court in March.

He was released on bail to be sentenced on June 15 but did not turn up, with police confirming to the Times this week they suspected Crause had fled to his former home of South Africa and a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

It's certainly amazing that he was convicted in the first place given the number of girls that I've seen in the news who are aged 12, 13 or 14 or so and in relationships with older men, and quite often with babies. Maybe the tide is turning?

Related link: Sex offender jumps bail, skips country