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Offender Databases Steven Burkin

Steven Ronald Burkin

Alias

.

Offences

Rape, sexual violation and indecent assault of a 13 year old Nelson girl between July and August 1996

Victims

.

Offender Affiliations

.

Gang affiliations

none known

Age

Born 1960

Current Location

unknown

Parole/Release Dates

Awaiting info on sentence

Background
Dominion Wellington, November 28th, 1997
A NELSON District Court jury has found a 37-year-old man guilty of raping a 13- year-old girl.

Steven Ronald Burkin, unemployed, of Nelson, had denied charges of raping the girl between August 18 and 31 last year.He had also denied a charge of indecently assaulting the girl and two representative charges of sexually violating her by unlawful sexual connection between July 1 and August 31 last year. A jury of eight women and three men found him guilty on all four charges. Judge John Walker remanded Burkin in custody till December 17 for sentencing.

The jury took five hours on Wednesday to reach its verdicts after a 2 and a half day trial. In closing, crown prosecutor Mary-Jane Thomas said the indecent assault charge related to an allegation that Burkin kissed the girl and she bit him on the lip. Miss Thomas questioned whether letters Burkin wrote to the girl were of a surrogate brother fashion, as he had said. She suggested they were of a romantic nature.

Miss Thomas said the girl was a victim of parents who had been willingly blind to what was happening. The girl had complained to her mother about Burkin kissing her, but Burkin got away with it. She said there was no evidence the girl made the rape complaint after she found out Burkin had told her parents her secrets, as suggested by the defence. The girl had said she found out what Burkin had told her parents after she gave her statement to police. Miss Thomas said Burkin was effectively courting the girl by writing her letters and giving her flowers and presents, and he had admitted kissing her.

For the defence, Rebecca Scott said Burkin's behaviour might have been naive, but it did not mean he was guilty of the charges. She said the girl had confided in Burkin and he let her down, and her attitude toward him obviously changed when she found out. She questioned why Burkin had admitted kissing the girl, slapping her or writing letters to her, if he had planned to lie to the detective interviewing him.

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Corrections and Additional Information
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