Medical condition delays case for child sex offender Kirk Skinner
The court case of confessed child sex offender Kirk Skinner, a former Newhaven College director of music, has been delayed for months by a medical condition.
Police & Courts
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A “pretty serious” medical condition has delayed the court case of confessed child sex offender and private school music teacher Kirk Skinner by three months.
The ex-director of music at Newhaven College requires dialysis three times a week, with his condition pushing his pre-sentencing hearing back to March.
County Court Judge Daniel Holding on Tuesday said Skinner’s victims may prefer to come to court earlier to give evidence about the impact of the former teacher’s crimes, and if so the 64-year-old would have to make himself available.
Skinner appeared for the short administrative hearing via video link wearing a collared T-shirt, where he struggled for five minutes to connect his audio.
He had last month been admitted to an intensive care unit in hospital after experiencing “acute renal and cardiac failure”.
Earlier this year, he confessed to sex offences spanning three decades against six victims during his time teaching at Caulfield Grammar and Newhaven College, including the sexual penetration of a child and intentionally sexually touching the genitals of boys, aged 16 to 18.
The court was issued a report from The Alfred hospital outlining Skinner’s medical condition, which Judge Holding remarked was “pretty serious” with the man currently requiring regular dialysis.
Defence barrister Tim McCulloch said the delay of the pre-sentence hearing would provide extra time to ascertain an “additional degree of certainty as to Mr Skinner’s prognosis”.
His one-day hearing, also called a plea-hearing — where prosecution and defence lawyers argue factors for the judge to consider upon sentencing and victims get an opportunity to speak - has been delayed until March 12, 2024.
Skinner’s bail was extended until that date.
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