Previous victim of convicted paedophile Nik Marinovich describes him as manipulative monster

July 28, 2020

Nik Marinovich had worked on the set of a children’s TV show.

A previous victim of convicted paedophile Nik Marinovich has described him as a manipulative monster after he today plead guilty to possessing, distributing, and making child sex abuse images.

The 34-year-old was able to continue working around children for five years after his release from jail following a 2013 conviction for sexual crimes against three underage girls while running a cheerleading club.

One of his victims, who 1 NEWS has called Kate to protect her identity, was 15 when he lured her to a one-on-one training session at the gym.

"He was just so evil and manipulative and normalised what he did,” Kate said.

“At one point I lay down on a gym mat to rest and Nik took that opportunity to take advantage of me and I just remember feeling completely frozen. What happened to me didn't happen by accident. he'd orchestrated everything, he singled me out.”

Marinovich appeared on the Breakfast programme in 2006

“Pretty much what we try to do is more stunts and acrobatics rather than jumping up and down in skirts and pompoms,” he said at the time.

Sentenced to two and a half years in prison, Marinovich was released in 2014 after serving just 10 months.

Despite parole conditions prohibiting contact with minors, lax vetting meant the convicted paedophile was able to work as a cameraman around children for various groups and companies including TV show, What Now.

“We were very shocked and upset to learn of his arrest and prior convictions. We did not carry out police vetting prior to the contractor's engagement,” What Now's production company said in a statement.

Kate felt sick hearing about Marinovich’s latest offending.

"I just feel sick, I don't feel he ever stopped. he never stopped thinking about young girls, he's just become the most awful monster,” Kate said.

"There was so many others and we were just the tip of the iceberg."

Marinovich was arrested in May last year on the set of TV3's The Cafe.

In a search of his home, authorities found a collection of school girl uniforms, female underwear and cheerleading outfits, as well as the sexually explicit images.

“You were found to be in possession of approximately 4,658 objectionable publications,” Judge Pippa Sinclair said in Auckland District Court.

1 NEWS has chosen not to describe the child sex abuse images in his latest offending because they are so depraved. 

Marinovich had other camera gigs included filming children at the Weet-Bix Tryathlon and videos for Football New Zealand.

1 NEWS can reveal he was allowed to coach back in his old hunting ground, cheerleading, twice filming the nationals.

The head of New Zealand Cheer Union, telling 1 NEWS she feels disgusted and admits they had no vetting system, something they have now rectified

Marinovich will be sentenced next month.

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