Attul Kumar Patel was sentenced on Tuesday at the High Court in Auckland (file photo).

An accountant and "family man" spent hours trawling darkened Auckland cinemas, where he inappropriately touched women.

Now he has been sentenced to five months' home detention.

Attul Kumar Patel,was sentenced on Tuesday at the High Court in Auckland by Justice Christian Whata for one count of indecent assault at the Westgate cinema on July 22.

In 2014, the father-of-two was convicted of two counts of indecent assault and one of unlawfully being on a property at St Lukes cinema and Event cinema in Henderson.

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Crown prosecutor Erin Woolley said the incident on July 22 was the fourth time Patel committed the "exact type" of offending in five years.

Patel's defence lawyer John Anderson said a $500 emotional harm payment would be offered to the victim.

Anderson also submitted to the court that medication Patel was taking was helping to stop the offending.

On July 22, the victim and her sister went to see a film at Westgate cinema about 4.30pm.

Patel then entered the theatre and walked past several empty seats and sat next to the victim, the court heard.

"You slid your right hand under the complainant's buttocks. She was startled by your actions," Justice Whata said.

"She asked what you were doing. She told you to move, you eventually moved one seat from the complainant."

Justice Whata said the victim could not step inside a cinema since the incident.

"It has affected her outlook on life and made her very mistrustful of people," he said.

The court heard how Patel told police he had an issue with anxiety, couldn't control his hands and did not know why he sat next to the victim.

In a pre-sentence report, psychologist Dr Ian Goodwin said Patel's behaviour was driven by OCD and he had strong compulsions to touch other people.

However, Goodwin said Patel's risk of offending was low if medicated.

The Auckland man was supported by his wife, Monita, in court on Tuesday.

The court heard that Monita had said Patel's offending was not driven by sexual deviancy and he had a history of abuse and neglect.

Justice Whata said despite the low level of offending, "it was highly distressing for the victim".

"Your offending is not at all acceptable," Justice Whata said.

"The best place for you is at home, you can focus on getting well and address your needs."

Justice Whata also imposed 12 months post-release conditions for Patel to continue to receive treatment for his OCD and anxiety.

Patel was also issued his second strike under the Three Strikes Law.

"If you do this again you will be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of seven years," Justice Whata said.

SNEAKING AROUND CINEMAS

In 2014, Patel, from Flat Bush, lurked around Event Cinemas in Henderson, waiting until staff were preoccupied before sneaking into the theatre area without paying.

Though the cinema was nearly empty, he picked a spot next to a 13-year-old girl as the lights were dimmed. Ignoring her younger brother seated next to her, Patel began rubbing her bare thigh.

The girl tried to ignore him and moved her leg away but the offender persisted, "hissing" at her to try and attract her attention.

Over the next four hours, CCTV footage showed him moving between several screenings, some in which he stayed for seconds, others for half an hour.

Police released photos of the man after the teenager reported the incident and Patel eventually handed himself in when a friend alerted his attention to media reports.

A then 23-year-old woman then came forward and told police she was also targeted and picked Patel out of photo booklet of potential offenders.

The 23-year-old victim had been at St Lukes cinema with her fiance when Patel sat next to her and rubbed her thigh for two minutes, gradually getting higher up her left before she moved seats.

At his sentencing in 2014, his lawyer at the time, David Reece said the offending was "anxiety related" and had started cognitive behavioural therapy.

Judge David Mather said in 2014 that Patel was unlikely to repeat the offending but there were worrying elements of premeditation.

"Spending hours at the cinema without the normal intention of watching any movies clearly gives cause for concern," Judge Mather said.

In 2014, Patel was sentenced to 230 hours of community work, 18 months intensive supervision and ordered to pay $400 to each victim and $35 to Event Cinemas for the movies he could have watched.