Coach jailed over boy sex

Neville Earnest Hearling was trusted by hundreds of parents to look after their children at rugby league and softball games - but instead of looking after them he used his position to "isolate" and sexually abuse young boys.

Hearling, now 76, was jailed yesterday for three years and three months.

He had been due to stand trial in the High Court at Auckland but pleaded guilty to 19 charges of indecency between a man and a boy under 16 and two charges of attempted indecency.

Hearling was a coach at the Mt Albert Junior Rugby League Club and the Metro Softball Club when he struck over a number of years in the 1970s.

His home backed on to the park where the league club was based.

Court documents show one of the boys was abused on a swimming trip during the league season.

Hearling watched him swimming with his friends in the shallow part of the pool before he swam over to him and dragged him away from his friends and into deep water where he performed indecencies on him.

The boy was shocked and scared and couldn't move or say anything.

A month later, Hearling invited him to go swimming again. The boy didn't want to go but was encouraged to by his parents.

During the second trip, Hearling again popped up behind him and dragged the boy into water that was over his head and abused him.

Another boy was abused at a number of places, including Hearling's car and his home. The boy's mother was a solo parent who didn't have transport, so Hearling would ring her and say her son could stay with him because it was getting "late".

Two brothers stayed with Hearling after he befriended them, taking them to the races and giving them beer.

During the softball season of 1975-76 the boys would stay with Hearling before games. One of them would wake up and find Hearling in bed with him. The boy would lie petrified until the abuse stopped but, after the first assault, it became routine and the incidents occurred regularly.

Prosecutor Nick Webby said Hearling blamed everyone but himself, including the victims.

He was not considered to be a candidate for electronic bail and, given his lack of remorse, a sentence of home detention was also unsuitable.

Mr Webby said Hearling had told a probation officer he did not accept he had offended and that he did not require counselling.

Justice Pam Andrews said his offending followed a similar pattern.

"In each case, you would establish a relationship with them and orchestrate situations where you would be alone, either taking them to the swimming pool, camping or out after games. You would use the situations to isolate and abuse them," she said.

In some cases, he would try to disguise the abuse as a practical joke and, in the case of one victim, took advantage of the fact he lived with only one parent.

Justice Andrews said the impact on his victims had been devastating.

"The victim impact statements make harrowing reading. I note each one of them speaks of severe, long-term effects your offending has had on them. Each one of them has feelings of disgust and revulsion of what has occurred."

Justice Andrews rejected Hearling's claims that he was not to blame.

"I do not accept they were responsible for your offending - you were."

The "gross abuse of trust" and premeditated way he abused the boys were aggravating factors, as was the repetitive nature of the abuse.

Hearling appeared to be straining to hear the judge and leaned on the dock when his sentence was read out.

Detective Sergeant Andy King, of Auckland City police, told the Weekend Herald he welcomed the sentence.

"I'm thrilled on behalf of the victims. They're happy he's going to jail and are relieved the criminal proceedings side of it are over ... but they will have to live with it forever."