Silipa Take has been sentenced to home detention Masturbation and oral sex were amongst the activities vulnerable clients encountered when they were seen by then-NZ AIDS Foundation counsellor Silipa Take for HIV tests. Sentencing Judge Peter Hobbs this morning listed several of the ways in which Take indecently assaulted ten of his male clients in 2009, including touching their genitals as part of a claimed STI examination which he was neither trained nor authorised to do. However, a document just released by the court to GayNZ.com Daily News indicates that actions not listed in the judge's brief courtroom summary included masturbating a client, performing oral sex and placing his lips or nose on the tip of another's penis. Take originally denied indecently assaulting any of his clients but eventually pleaded guilty after a police-led investigation resulted in thirteen counts of indecent assault relating to ten victims. The police Summary of Facts reveals that the non-medical nature of the assaults included manipulating victims' genitals, and in one case leaning into the victim's groin and putting "his mouth or nose onto the end of the victim's penis". In another instance Take "examined the victim's anus... before grabbing his testicles. When the victim got an erection Take "began to masturbate" him. All the victims initially thought they were undergoing a genuine examination for sexually transmitted diseases, although it was noted in the Summary of Facts that Take did not appear to take notes and did not take standard examination precautions such as wearing protective gloves. One victim did, however, become concerned when Take "seemed to not be able to complete sentences and was losing his train of thought." Judge Hobbs repeatedly stressed the issue of breach of trust at the core of the offending and said that some, but not all, of the victims are experiencing on-going emotional difficulties. Take was this morning sentenced to ten months' home detention, 250 hours of community service and ordered to pay $6,500 in reparations. He was also required to undergo psychiatric assessment and any subsequently recommended treatment.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 30th April 2014 - 12:45pm