A man who has been described as New Zealand's "most dangerous stalker" has lost an appeal against several of his release conditions.
Glenn Green was charged by police after targeting a high-profile US businessman who has reportedly run and owned companies worth several billions of dollars.
He told the businessman he had videos and photos of the man having an extramarital affair and threatened to share them with media and the victim's family if he wasn't paid.
"Not surprisingly, the offending caused both the victim and his family very considerable and long-lasting anxiety," Justice Graham Lang said in his judgment earlier this month.
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After Green was charged, he pleaded guilty to blackmail and was sentenced to 17-and-a-half months imprisonment in May.
However, he appealed several of the release conditions imposed on him by Judge Claire Ryan, including an order effectively preventing him from entering any business premises to which the public have access if there are internet capable devices inside.
Glenn argued he could easily get onto the internet by going to the address of a neighbour or a friend without breaching his release conditions.
"I accept Mr Green's argument on this point as far as it goes. Arguably, however, it serves only to highlight the possibility that the present release conditions do not go far enough," Justice Lang said.
"They should arguably have prohibited Mr Green from being permitted to visit any address at which he might be able to obtain unmonitored access to a device capable of accessing the internet."
Green also appealed a prohibition on taking any job without his probation officer's prior approval.
"I consider, for what it is worth, that the probation service should permit Mr Green to apply for such positions without being required to disclose his previous convictions so long as it can be sure the job will not permit him to have access to any internet-capable device," Justice Lang said.
"This does not detract in any way from Mr Green's general obligation as a prospective employee to honestly answer any questions an employer may ask about his past history."
Green's past history includes 198 convictions for offences including assault, wilful damage, intimidation, speaking threateningly, assaulting police, resisting police, impersonating police, breaching the terms of a protection order, shoplifting, theft, receiving stolen goods, unlawfully taking or interfering with a motor vehicle, burglary, misusing a telephone, using a telephone offensively, sending a threatening letter, forgery, altering a cheque, fraudulent use of a document, making a false claim of fire, making a false statement that an offence had been committed, giving a false oath, perverting the course of justice and engaging in criminal harassment.
He's previously been described by one officer as "the most dangerous stalker New Zealand has at the moment".
Newshub.
