Former Christchurch mental health nurse Peter Ogden has been sentenced to 12 months of home detention after pleading guilty to ill-treatment of a vulnerable adult, following a sexual relationship with a disabled mental health patient between 2021 and 2022.
The victim, who was “groomed and manipulated,” described in her impact statement how the abuse shattered her trust in men and nurses, leading to severe psychological distress, self-neglect, and panic attacks.
Despite the relationship being deemed consensual, the Crown argued it was inherently exploitative due to Ogden’s position of power.
Judge Tom Gilbert condemned the conduct as a gross breach of professional duty, stating Ogden will never work as a nurse in New Zealand again. Alongside his sentence, Ogden was ordered to pay $10,000 in emotional harm compensation.
