A serial stalker’s convictions for breaching release conditions have been overturned after his lawyer successfully argued that writing to women did not constitute the beginning of a relationship, Radio New Zealand reports.
Serial stalker's convictions overturned http://t.co/5w2ofkMRb8
— RNZ News (@rnz_news) March 5, 2015
Glenn Green has 201 convictions, including 34 for violating protection orders.
Green had just served 30 months in prison for criminal harassment in June last year and was subject to special release conditions. One of those conditions required Green to notify his probation officer if he was starting a new relationship.
Just days after being released from prison, Green wrote letters to two women, one of whom he had seen while visiting a shopping centre.
The letter started with the line "hope you don't creep out at this letter". He also referred to her as a "beauty" and sent text messages to a third woman who had previously been subjected to his unwanted attention.
Corrections prosecuted Green who was found guilty and sentenced at the Manukau District Court in December to a year in prison but his lawyer, Peter Broad, argued that Green’s letters and text message did not fit the definition of a relationship because it was one-way communication.
He added that if the purpose of the condition was to prevent Green from contacting women, then it should have said just that.
In her judgement, Justice Thomas found that while Green's letters were aimed at starting new relationships, they did not in themselves constitute a new relationship. She found Green was not in breach.
