A child sex offender on parole was able to move within a short distance of two primary schools in Auckland shortly before he committed a sex offence against an elderly woman.
Howard Kitching, 62, was granted parole under conditions which included 24 hour supervision in October 2006 despite a string of sex offences against children going back to 1965 .
But the Corrections Department allowed him to move close to the two schools, Ficino Primary and Mt Eden Normal School, in Mt Eden in May 2008, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Five days later, Kitching was charged with indecently assaulting a 95-year-old woman at a nearby rest home. Jurors found him guilty earlier this week and there is a strong chance he will be sentenced to preventive detention for a third time.
Corrections community probation regional manager Astrid Kalders said his probation officer was told Ficino Primary was used as an adult training institute by someone in Kitching's support group.
She said the parole officer was later told that children attended the school and a new address was being sought when the offence against the elderly woman occurred.
Ms Kalders said the nearby retirement village was not a factor as all Kitching's previous offences were against children.
Parole Board spokeswoman Sonja de Friez said Kitching's initial parole preserved community safety due to his strict supervision conditions at the earlier address he was paroled to.
"The board was not made aware of Mr Kitching's shift from this address," she said.
Kitching had initially been paroled with another convicted paedophile about 700m from Three Kings Primary School, about 1km south of the Mt Eden address he later moved to.
Objections had been raised by police and Corrections but the Parole Board said in January 2008 that there had been no breaches and Kitching's parole was regarded as a success .
