A crumbling sense of self-worth after witnessing his wife's career take off and his own employment diminish led a Blenheim man to his "darkest hours" in which he found himself masturbating on his neighbour's underwear, his lawyer says.
The 46-year-old man was sentenced for unlawfully being in a yard and two charges of performing an indecent act with intent to offend when he appeared in the Blenheim District Court yesterday.
He was granted final name suppression and was sentenced to 12 months' supervision and ordered to pay the woman $750 in emotional harm.
Judge Stephen Harrop said the man entered his neighbour's property through the back entrance between July 27 and 28.
He took down a pair of his female neighbour's underwear from her clothesline and masturbated over them before putting them back on the line, he said.
Defence counsel Rob Harrison said the relationship between the man and his wife had changed which may have been a factor in the offending.
They were receiving relationship counselling after the incident and the man was also getting counselling to discover the cause of the offending.
"What we see is that the career of his wife was improving and his employment diminished to the point where he was a house-husband. He had a problem dealing with that sense of self-worth and achievement."
The man was at a loss to explain his actions and the counselling was helping explain the driving factor behind the offending, he said.
Mr Harrison argued for final name suppression because publishing his name would cost the man his job and also have an effect on his wife's work.
People who know the man, including those living in his neighbourhood, knew about the incident already, he said.
Publishing the man's name would put him back into the frame of mind during the offending.
"They were the darkest hours that he's had."
Judge Harrop said the man had no previous convictions and a conviction would have a significant penalty for him.
However, the effect on the victim would have also been significant, he said.
"Probably more than you could have guessed or appreciated."
In a victim impact statement, the woman said she had since moved from the house, and when she did not know who was coming into her back yard she feared the seriousness of the offending would increase.
Judge Harrop said lifting the suppression order would disrupt the progress in the man's counselling and also his work situation.
- The Marlborough Express
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