Former owner of The Captain Cook Hotel jailed for paying minor for sex

A Dunedin entertainment industry figure who paid a 15-year-old for sex can now be identified.

Michael McLeod, the former owner of iconic Dunedin pub The Captain Cook Hotel, has been jailed for more than two years for contracting the minor for sex in 2024.

The prosecutor said there was an element of grooming as McLeod gave the victim methamphetamine, alcohol and vapes.

He previously admitted to supplying methamphetamine and cannabis.

While sentencing McLeod in the Dunedin District Court on Wednesday, Judge David Robinson said the victim was extraordinarily vulnerable.