The Crown says the public have a right to know a sex offender's identity even though his lawyer has told an Auckland judge naming his client could increase the chances of him committing suicide.
The man is serving a sentence of 12 months' home detention for sexually abusing two boys under the age of 12 after pleading guilty to two representative charges of indecent assault.
The High Court in Auckland was told on Friday the man suffered a mental health breakdown after finding his son who had committed suicide.
The defence said it was during the breakdown that the offending happened.
Crown prosecutor Kevin Glubb said the public had a right to know the identity of the man so no other parents put their children in his care.
He said giving the man name suppression would create a special class of criminal and identifying an offender was part of the punishment.
The man's lawyer, David Jones, said although his client was a sex offender, he still had a right to live and should be given name suppression to decrease the risk of self-harming.
Justice Winkelmann has reserved her decision.
