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He sexually assaulted girls
aged 8 to 15; in a plea bargain,
the state recommends
parole in 5 years

By Debra Barayuga
Star-Bulletin

Stuart Novick, founder of Protect the Planet, pleaded guilty today to 62 third-degree sexual assault charges involving five girls between 1995 to 1999. The girls were ages 8 to 15.

He could have faced 310 years in prison and fines up to $620,000. But under a plea agreement, Novick faces extended terms of 10 years on each count when sentenced Aug. 9 before Circuit Judge Richard Perkins.

The state also agreed not to seek consecutive terms and will ask the Parole Board to allow him to seek parole after he has served at least five years.

By Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin
Stuart Novick, left, who pleaded guilty to 62 counts of third-
degree sexual assault today, will be eligible for parole after
five years if the state's recommendation is accepted. He
could have faced 310 years in prison. At right is
Deputy Public Defender Jack Tonaki.

In addition, the state agreed to drop 16 remaining charges, including promoting child abuse, and will not file additional charges in connection with evidence seized from a search of his Kalanikai Place home, in Waialae Iki.

Today Novick, 55, expressed regret to the court.

"I allowed forces beyond my control into my life ... created an enormous amount of damage to a lot of people -- allowed it out of my own ignorance and out of my arrogance," Novick said.

Novick said he stood before the court "humiliated" and with a great deal of sorrow for those hurt by his actions, particularly his family and his young son.

Although the charges stemmed from only five victims, police believe at least 30 girls may have been sexually assaulted.

Prosecutors said Novick lured girls to his home on the pretense that they would be starring in commercials for Protect the Planet, an environmental group. Instead, he made them lie down and massaged them, allegedly to relax them, until they were nearly asleep before he committed the sexual acts, deputy prosecutor Susan Won said in court.

The acts were caught on videotape because Novick had videotaped the photo sessions, which included zoom-ins of the girls' breasts and buttocks. The girls were clad in bathing suits. Seized among Novick's personal possessions were almost 100 tapes involving at least 30 girls, police said.

The sexual acts were mostly acts of fondling and no sexual penetration was involved, prosecutors said. Novick also pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted third-degree sexual assault.

The state agreed to the plea agreement out of concern for the victims, Won said. Some of the girls did not realize they were victims until after his arrest and to this day some don't know what sexual acts were done to them, Won said.