He still vehemently denies any wrongdoing against the victim, who was aged between 9 and 14 years old at the time and was the whāngai (adopted) child of the man and his family.
The woman got the courage to go to the police about the repeated rapes and sexual assaults about six years ago.
They occurred while she lived with the man between 1988 and 1994.
Judge Glen Marshall said the victim described “more or less being your sex slave” in not only the house but also a shed.
The offending came to an end after she told him she had missed her period, for which he got angry. She then moved to another town where she had a miscarriage.
The man’s lawyer Mark Jepson pushed for various discounts, including previous good character, background issues in his cultural report and court delays, which dragged the case through the courts for four years for various reasons, including Covid and illness.
Crown prosecutor Rebecca Mann labelled the crimes as “serious historical offending” and urged caution about any discount for court delays as there was no allowance for that in legislation as well as good character.
Having regard to the nature and duration of the offending, which she dubbed “inherently secretive”, 10 per cent for good character was “excessively generous”.
Jepson pushed for a start point of nine years; Mann 10 or 11 years.
Given the offending happened in the late 80s, the man would have to be jailed according to what the maximum jail term was at the time - 14 years - as opposed to 20 years now.
Judge Marshall opted for a 10-year starting point, noting the offending was “prolonged and serious” with multiple aggravating features.
He said the victim was also “compelling” when she gave her evidence at trial.
Judge Marshall accepted the Crown’s submission about good character, agreeing to a 5 per cent discount, along with a further 10 per cent for his background issues.
However, as he still maintained his innocence, he got no credit for remorse.
The man was jailed for eight years and six months.
Belinda Feek has been a reporter for 19 years, and was at the Herald for eight years before joining the Open Justice team in 2021.
SEXUAL HARM
Where to get help:
If it’s an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.If you’ve ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7:• Call 0800 044 334• Text 4334• Email support@safetotalk.nz• For more info or to web chat visit safetotalk.nzAlternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it’s not your fault.
