Paedophile’s home looted after he fails to show up at court for his own trial on second day

Tuesday, 7 July 2026

A King Country man who was apparently too fearful to go to court for the second day of his own trial on indecency charges had his home looted not long after.

Mervyn Scott, 58, was jailed for two years, four months and 15 days when he appeared in the Hamilton District Court on Monday.

Earlier this year - and in his absence - he had been found guilty by Judge Bruce Northwood at a judge-alone trial in Taumarunui on two charges of indecent assault of a girl aged under 12, and two of doing an indecent act on a girl under 12.

Some of those charges were representative, meaning they cover multiple incidents.

While some details about the offending cannot be reported without leading to the identification of Scott’s victim, the girl was an occasional visitor to his home in Taumarunui in the early part of this decade.

The offending involved him compelling the girl to touch his genitals, and him touching her genitals also.

Judge Northwood said the victim had been “clearly repulsed” by what was happening, and on at least one occasion had smacked his hand away.

“She stood up for herself rather well,” the judge noted.

While Scott had attended the first day of the trial, he was a no-show at the Taumarunui courthouse on the second, and the judge had issued a warrant for his arrest.

The trial continued in his absence and the judge found him guilty on all counts. Scott was eventually located by the police in a house in Te Kuiti and arrested.

He told them he had been too fearful to attend court because gang members who had learned of his charges had been looking for him outside.

Scott was remanded in custody and during this time his home had been looted and everything of value, including some court documents, had been taken.

In his submissions, defence counsel Michael Curran said the offending was “comparatively brief and fleeting … [and] not the most invasive kind”.

He was extremely remorseful and “deeply regretted his decision not to remain in the trial” but had effectively been “run out of town by gang members”.

“Essentially, he has made his bed. And now he has to lie in it,” Curran said.

“He is ashamed of what he is charged with … He did not tell anyone what he was facing. He will have plenty of time to ponder and think about that, and I can assure you he deeply regrets it.”

Scott was now suffering from poor physical and mental health, with gout being a particular issue, Curran said. However, he did have “magnificent quality support” from his family, some of whom were in the public gallery to support him.

The victim had not submitted a statement to the court prior to Scott’s sentencing, however Crown prosecutor Matthew Temm said that was because she and her family had found the entire situation extremely stressful, and wanted to put it behind them.

While Scott’s actions may have been affected by alcohol, “You were the adult … She was the child,” Judge Northwood said.

He took a starting point of three years in jail, and following deductions for his health issues and his good prior character, ended with a final sentence of two years, four months and 15 days behind bars.

Given he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment, Scott’s name has been automatically listed on the Child Sex Offenders Register.