UH student gets
30 days in jail

The man is tripped up by police
posing as a teenage girl online

A University of Hawaii graduate student who pleaded no contest to first-degree electronic enticement of a child had some advice for anyone thinking about using the Internet to arrange to have sex with a minor.

"Don't do it, don't go there," said Paul Clur, 36, former head of the student caucus at UH-Manoa.

Circuit Judge Karl Sakamoto sentenced Clur yesterday to 30 days in jail to send home the seriousness of what he did.

But Sakamoto granted Clur's request for the chance to clear his record because of the contributions Clur has made and could make in the community while finishing his education. Clur is three classes shy of a master's degree. If Clur stays out of trouble for the next five years and complies with court-imposed conditions, he will have the opportunity to wipe his record clean.

Clur went to the Makiki Zippy's on Oct. 3, 2003, to meet who he thought was a 13-year-old girl he had corresponded with over the Internet. He fled when police tried to identify themselves and was arrested after a brief chase.

Sakamoto said he believed Clur's conduct was an isolated incident and that Clur is taking steps to ensure he doesn't engage in similar conduct again. Clur voluntarily entered sex offender program and is halfway to completion.

His colleagues from the university, as well as family and friends, showed up to support him at sentencing.

Doris Ching, UH vice president of student affairs, who has worked closely with Clur for three years, described him as an exceptionally capable leader and graduate student and a loyal husband and father.

"I believe he will be a contributing member of the community and believe his prospects for the future will be positive," she said.

Clur will be allowed to serve his jail term on weekends, beginning Friday, so that he can continue his studies and still support his wife and newborn son.

Outside the courtroom, Clur said he felt the judge considered his circumstances and the seriousness of the offense in reaching a "fair" sentence.

Trish Morikawa, deputy attorney general in the Hawaii Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, had opposed the deferral and requested the maximum 10-year penalty because of the seriousness of the offense.