Slater v The Queen

The Court of Appeal of New Zealand heard an appeal against the sentence imposed on Jason Douglas Slater, who was convicted of three charges of indecent assault. The appeal, confined to the sentence, was heard on the papers. The offending involved Slater, who purported to be a model agent, deceiving three complainants and engaging in indecent assaults while filming them. The appeal raised issues concerning the findings of fact, the pre-sentence report, and the appropriateness of the sentence. The court found the findings of fact made by the Judge to be inevitable given the evidence, as Slater did not provide any evidence to suggest that he was a genuine modelling agent. The court also dismissed criticisms of the pre-sentence report, stating that it was too late to challenge what happened at the interview since the appellant did not tender evidence on any matter referred to in the report. Lastly, the court held that the sentence imposed was within the acceptable range, considering the premeditated and serial nature of the offending, as well as the element of skin-on-skin contact. The appeal was dismissed, and the sentence of two years and four months imprisonment was upheld.