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Offender Databases Scott McCullough

Scott Wayne Luke McCullough

Alias

Luke McCulloch

Offences

Repeated sexual assault of his Palmerston North ex-girlfriend after drugging her on a number of occasions over some months from February 2002

Victims

.

Offender Affiliations

.

Gang affiliations

none known

Age

Born 1973

Current Location

Tokomaru in the Horowhenua district

Parole/Release Dates

Sentenced to 4 years 6 months in September 2002

Background
From the Evening Standard 11th Sept 2002
A City woman who thought she had developed a brain tumour was in reality being regularly drugged by her former boyfriend for sex purposes. Yesterday, Scott Wayne Luke McCullough, 29, was sentenced in Palmerston North District Court to four and a half years' jail on three charges relating to the drugging of his ex-girlfriend. McCullough pleaded guilty to disabling the woman with the drug temazepam, aggravated wounding - by stupefying her with the same drug - and indecent assault.

Judge Phillip Connell said the offending was malicious and premeditated over a period of time. After McCullough began poisoning her food, the woman started having blackouts and memory lapses. She consulted numerous doctors and had a brain scan to make sure she didn't have a brain tumour.

Crown prosecutor Steven Keall said McCullough made nine visits to four different doctors to obtain 160 temazepam pills (sleeping tablets). Mr Keall said McCullough even searched on the internet to find out how the drug would affect the victim.

The offending began after McCullough and his girlfriend broke up in November. Despite the break-up, she allowed him to stay in the house, because he was virtually bankrupt. McCullough started pretending to sleepwalk his way into the woman's bedroom. She was upset by this and tried to barricade herself in her room. In February, McCullough began poisoning her food with temazepam, and she began to suffer blackouts and memory loss.

It was after one of these incidents, in which she had blacked out, that she discovered she had been indecently assaulted. The woman tried to phone a doctor, but found that McCullough had disconnected the phone. McCullough was told to leave the house. But after about a month, he found an opportunity to get back in - and again poison her food. He left a window open and took a key to the house. Then, later that night, he returned and again assaulted the woman.

During this incident, in which she drifted in and out of consciousness, she discovered McCullough was her attacker. Judge Connell said one of the most aggravating features was the "horrendous" psychological harm inflicted on the woman. Defence lawyer Steve Winter said McCullough didn't want to make his ex- girlfriend give evidence during a trial, so he pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

In a psychiatric report, McCullough said that what he did was "sick and stupid". McCullough was ordered to give a sample for the criminal DNA database. He was sentenced to four and a half years on the aggravated wounding charge, 16 months on the disabling charge and two years for the indecent assault. The sentences will be served concurrently.

From the Dominion Post 14th Sept 2002
A WOMAN who thought she had developed a brain tumour was being regularly drugged by her former boyfriend for sex.

Scott Wayne Luke McCullough, 29, was jailed for 4 years 6 months when he was sentenced in Palmerston North District Court this week on three charges relating to the drugging of his ex-girlfriend. McCullough pleaded guilty to disabling the woman with a prescription drug, aggravated wounding - by stupefying her with the drug - and indecent assault. Judge Phillip Connell said the offending was malicious and premeditated over a period of time. After McCullough began poisoning her food, the woman started having blackouts and memory lapses.

She consulted numerous doctors and had a brain scan to make sure she did not have a brain tumour. Crown prosecutor Steven Keall said McCullough made nine visits to four different doctors to obtain 160 sleeping tablets.

The offending began after McCullough and his girlfriend broke up in November. Despite the break-up, she allowed him to stay in the house, because he was virtually bankrupt. In February, McCullough began poisoning her food with the drug, and she began to suffer blackouts and memory loss.

McCullough was ordered to give a sample for the criminal DNA database. He was sentenced to 4 years 6 months on the aggravated wounding charge, 16 months on the disabling charge and two years for the indecent assault. The sentences will be served concurrently.

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Corrections and Additional Information
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