Christchurch man Matthew Elliot has been jailed for more than five years after he was found guilty of raping a vulnerable teenager in 2004. Photo / George Heard
WARNING: This story references details of a sexual assault. Help and crisis information is included at the end of the story
A Christchurch man has been jailed for the “brutal” rape of a teenage girl 18 years ago - after effectively admitting his crime in a police conference call with her but putting her through two harrowing trials.
Matthew Elliot, 37, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison for raping the best friend of one of his siblings in 2005.
He plied the young woman with alcohol before trapping her in a bedroom, pinning her down and assaulting her while she continuously screamed, told him “no” and tried with all her might to fight him off.
For many years the victim was too traumatised to tell any adults or authorities what happened.
Eventually, she felt strong enough to report Elliot to the police - but it would be another gruelling and awful six years before justice was served.
The woman - who the Herald will refer to as Suzy - shared her story just before she faced her rapist for the last time in court at his sentencing.
This story contains graphic descriptions of Suzy’s rape and may be upsetting.
It started as a normal summer day.
Suzy was on school holidays and dropped into her friend’s place to pick up some belongings.
She walked to the house and knocked on the door.
Matthew Elliot, then 18, answered.
He said his sibling wasn’t home but Suzy was welcome to come in, that he was just making lunch and she could have some.
Suzy thought nothing of the offer - Elliot was her mate’s big brother, she knew him, she felt comfortable with him and in his home.
Elliot offered Suzy a glass of wine with her lunch, put music on and “attempted to initiate a drinking game”.
They were sitting on a couch together and Elliot started to kiss Suzy before he lay on the floor and tried to pull her down on to him.
Suzy became uncomfortable and wanted to leave.
Elliot tried to persuade her to stay, telling the teenager she would be in trouble with her family if she returned home after drinking wine.
Suzy was adamant she was leaving but Elliot followed her and forced her into his bedroom.
The court heard he forced Suzy on to the bed and then closed the curtains.
As she tried to get up he pushed her back down and pinned her across the chest and shoulder area as he “crawled” on top of her.
Suzy tried to fight Elliot off and the court heard she was “punching and kicking out at him, whilst screaming and telling him to “f*** off”.
Elliot raped the teenager - continuing “despite her pleas to stop”.
Eventually, Suzy was able to roll away from him - while Elliot attempted to continue the rape - and run away from the house.
Suzy was devastated, traumatised.
But she was too scared to tell her family - she was worried they would go and deal to Elliot and then they may get in trouble.
So for a start, she decided to keep quiet.
But later that day she saw a friend in a local park and confided in her about what had happened.
She had to, the friend could see how upset Suzy was and guessed she had been sexually assaulted.
“There was a really long time between the offending and me going to police - a lot of that was to do with how society treats victims and believes victims, or not,” she said.
“I wasn’t always a well person, I always put on a really good face, always looked like I was coping, but a lot of the time I wasn’t.
“It took a long time to get to that place and feel strong enough to take this on.”
In 2017 Suzy went to police and disclosed her rape but the matter was not taken further.
“I didn’t really get the best response, I was told there wasn’t enough evidence and it would be too hard to prosecute, that it would be ‘he said, she said’ and essentially it wouldn’t really go anywhere,” she said.
She decided not to proceed with a formal complaint.
Then, out of the blue, the friend Suzy had spoken to at the park on the day of the rape reached out to her online.
Her message to Suzy read:
“There’s been something plaguing my mind for about 17 years. I don’t even know how to say it.
“I only have wee fragments of the memory - and you are more than welcome to tell me to f**k off and shut up - but is my memory of Matt raping you accurate?”
That was the message that empowered Suzy to go back to the police.
“At that stage, I thought ‘f**k it, I’ve got a witness now, I’ve got some evidence and I am going to give it another crack,” Suzy said.
Suzy gave a formal evidential statement and then engaged in a phone call with Elliot - spanning just under 18 minutes and recorded and supervised by the police investigating her complaint.
“I said ‘you raped me’ and he did not deny it… he apologised a million times in different ways, he said ‘I knew how old you were and I knew you didn’t consent’,” she explained.
Elliot also told Suzy during the call that he could picture himself in an orange jumpsuit in court.
However, after Elliot was charged with the rape he pleaded not guilty and the matter went to trial in the Christchurch District Court.
The first trial resulted in a hung jury but a second jury found Elliot guilty of raping Suzy.
He was sentenced last week by Judge Mark Callaghan.
Suzy had to give evidence about her rape twice - including being cross-examined by Elliot’s lawyer.
“It was absolutely horrendous,” she said
“They come at you with rape myths and victim blaming from the get-go and try to destroy your character and make you out to be the perpetrator.
“They make you feel like you have some responsibility, that you created the situation and you are the reason why this happened to you rather than the offender creating a situation where they can perpetrate against you.
“It takes a lot to not buy into that shit.”
Suzy said when the verdict came back guilty she felt “an overwhelming sense of relief”.
She had suffered for many years as a result of the rape and sacrificed a lot to go through the trials and said when the jurors unanimously convicted Elliot she felt “vindicated”.
“Especially after being so let down by the first jury,” she said.
“It was just absolute relief that the whole thing was over.”
At sentencing last week Judge Callaghan said Elliot still denied the rape and given that, had shown no remorse.
He said despite the phone call in which Elliot apologised “a number of times” for the rape - his defence in court was that it “never happened”.
Elliot admitted kissing Suzy but denied any further assault.
He said his apology was for “the kissing aspect and supplying wine”.
“That explanation was rejected by the jury,” said Judge Callaghan.
“She started to kick and punch and told you to f**k off. She told you she was having her period… she told you to stop.
“You held her down, you continued to hold her down while she struggled, you removed her tampon and you continued despite her protestations and trying to fight you off.
“She continued to fight you off and was screaming, hoping that her screams would alert somebody.
“When she was leaving you called her a bitch and a cock tease.”
Judge Callaghan said the rape was particularly “brutal” and “forceful” given Suzy was just 14 and Elliot had breached her trust as the older brother of a friend.
She felt comfortable in Elliot’s home as she had been there before and she had no reason to feel unsafe around him.
“Aggravating factors are… the degrading behaviour and the fact it occurred in a home she felt comfortable visiting,” the judge said
“There are long-term physical and emotional effects - it has affected every aspect of her life… she suffered the ordeal of going through a trial.”
Elliot - supported in court by his wife and others - showed no emotion during his sentencing.
He sat in the dock, his face covered by a mask which he did not wear during either trial meaning the Herald could not photograph him freely as approved by Judge Callaghan.
Crown prosecutor Mitchell McClenaghan told the court there was a degree of planning and premeditation and “a high level of harm” and violence used by Elliot given he pinned her down and rendered her incapable of moving away.
He said Elliot was incapable of being rehabilitated due to the fact he was still denying the rape happened.
Judge Callaghan agreed there was little he could consider in terms of remorse.
He said other than Elliot’s otherwise clean criminal history and relative youth at the time of the rape there were no other mitigating factors at play to significantly reduce his sentence.
He sentenced the rapist to five years and six months in prison.
Elliot said nothing as he was led away from court by Corrections officers.
Suzy was pleased her rapist had been jailed and that she could now begin to move on from the prosecution - putting it behind her and “placing it firmly ahead of him”.
But she explained she would never fully recover from the attack and sometimes wondered what life might have been like living without the trauma Elliot had caused, and the ongoing difficulties that come with it.
“The damage he caused me and my family…. He has absolutely f**ked quite a few of my relationships because of my trauma can be really f**king hard to deal with, it’s not always easy being around me especially when I’m really struggling,” Suzy said.
“Every single period after the rape has been horrendous to deal with, it re-traumatises me.”
Suzy is now with a loving partner and has a new baby - but the process of childbirth was terrifying for her as a result of the violation Elliot subjected her to.
Seeing him in court, speaking about her ordeal and being questioned in front of a jury of strangers, hearing the phone call where he apologised and being questioned about her honesty and integrity almost destroyed Suzy.
“It was horrendous…. When I heard him and saw him I just dissociated, became another person.
“I got told I was jealous of him seeing him flirting with someone else, a made-up salesperson, and that was just absurd.
“Why would I put myself through this, why would I put my family through this if it wasn’t true?
“I gave up so much.”
Suzy said she also felt proud of herself for holding Elliot - who she describes as a predator - to account.
“I am so proud I stood up for myself, but it has definitely come at a cost,” she said.
“Honestly, all I want him to do is take ownership of it… he has a daughter now - and without addressing his actions I don’t know how he can be a good father.
“I am hopeful but will be surprised if he ever shows any remorse… I just want him to say ‘yeah, I f**ked up’, to recognise what he did and to just be better.”
Suzy hoped that by sharing her story other people who had been abused, especially in historical cases, would be encouraged to seek help or disclose to the police.
“It’s hard but just don’t give up,” she said.
“And if you don’t get the response you deserve, it’s no reflection on you - it’s a reflection on society and a justice system that is flawed.
“I could have easily given up, so many times, but that would have been devastating if that was the end of the story for me.
“And my message to offenders - if you did it, just own up to it, don’t put the victim through a trial, you have an opportunity to make things right.”
Suzy agreed to have part of the impact statement she read to Matthew Elliot in court published by the Herald.
It is harrowing, it is graphic in parts and it is very raw.
But it is an important part of her story.
Judge Callaghan commended her for reading the statement in court - supported by victim advisor Ruth Money and her partner, family and friends.
“It is never easy to come and be in a public forum like this and read a statement like that,” the judge told Suzy.
“I acknowledge the impacts of this offending are such that they will be with you for the rest of your life.”
Here is the part of the statement:
The impacts of Matthew’s choices and actions have been deep and far-reaching and to be honest is impossible to put into words – even writing an ‘impact’ statement is re-traumatising and triggering.
I have avoided writing it given it brings it all flooding back again and I just want to move on.
This predator’s deliberate actions have left me with lifelong issues and impacted almost every relationship I have ever had.
Because of the rape, I have suffered from ongoing insomnia, nightmares, depression, suicidality, constant anxiety, hypervigilance, managing the impacts of psychotropic medications, a deep loathing of my body, and previous alcohol and drug abuse issues - some of these are still a part of my daily life.
Prior to being raped, I was doing well socially, emotionally - not the top of the class but achieving pretty well in every area of school.
I had pretty close relationships with my family, and I had hopes and dreams and I was a carefree young girl not aware of adult concepts or actions – his offending put an abrupt halt to all of that and changed my life forever.
After the rape, I was filled with rage, fear and confusion that quickly turned inwards as I had no other release, no one to talk to about it for fear of the consequences for myself and my family.
I created a mask and pretended I was ok so that I wouldn’t have to deal with it but this left me feeling isolated and depressed.
Looking back, the rape changed my life by starting a domino effect where I didn’t finish school, I started using drugs and alcohol making me more vulnerable, especially to other men, I became somewhat estranged from my family for a period when I left home at 16.
I struggle with my health for example getting things like sexual health checks and cervical smears, my trauma and PTSD are present in every romantic relationship and experience I have ever had since.
All of this is on HIM not me - but sadly it is me who has had to navigate all of these additional life challenges.
I’m so f**king angry that because of his choices and predatory behaviour... there are no words to explain how horrific this is.
I have no idea what my life would be like had he not raped me but I imagine a life where I am not constantly fearful of my safety, not regularly disassociating from my body, not battling huge self-esteem issues and depression, being a lot more social and fun, travelling a lot more, not compulsive with cleanliness and routine, not paralyzed by the fear about giving birth and the pain it will cause or not suffering with suicidal ideation when I bleed.
Inevitably, Matthew - this rapist - will be served with whatever sentence the court sees fit and no doubt it will take into careful consideration all of the mitigating and aggravating factors including my statement, my age and the harm caused.
But most of all I hope for a future where he has taken genuine accountability for his actions and has taken steps to work through what he has done so that he can be a better brother, son - and most of all, father.
High winds caused the large tree to fall across the road near Tokoroa.