Carteron man jailed for 11 sexual offences

File photo / NZ Herald

A Carterton man who was found guilty of 11 sexual offences against young girls has been sentenced to 10 and a half years behind bars.

Last month, Blair Stephen Cardno, 49, from Carterton, was found guilty on 11 charges including attempted sexual violation by rape, sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection and inducing a girl under 12 years to carry out an indecent act.

He was also found not guilty of two charges of indecent assault on a girl between the ages of 12 and 16.

At Wellington District Court today Judge Arthur Tompkins sentenced Cardno to 10 and a half years in prison for attempted sexual violation by rape, six years for sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection and three years for the other remaining nine charges.

The sentences were to be served concurrently.

At a trial at Wellington District Court last month, Cardno denied all charges against him, which the Crown said were carried out in the early 2000s in Martinborough.

During the trial the defence's case was that nothing sexual had ever happened and the complainants had invented the story because of problems they were having in their lives at the time the alleged offences took place.

The defence had also challenged the reliability of the complainants' evidence.

During the trial Cardno denied all the allegations and told the court he was in a relationship when the offences took place.

The Crown said the complainants "had not put their heads together, colluded and made false allegations".

Today, Judge Tompkins said that Cardno's actions had a "devastating effect" on his "vulnerable" victims.

He said Cardno seemed to have no "remorse or insight" into his offendings.