Former teacher 'depraved in the extreme'

The boys were all aged between 13 and 17 when Joblin preyed on them. Photo / File

A former teacher who raped runaway teenage boys has been jailed for 20 years today.

Graeme Andrew Joblin, 56, groomed vulnerable young boys he met while busking in Christchurch city centre.

He plied them with alcohol and drugs before taking advantage of them by raping and indecently attacking them.

Now, he has been jailed for 20 years, with a minimum non-parole term of seven years, after being found guilty by jury on 23 charges.

A judge who handed the former Wellington high school teacher the lengthy jail time at Christchurch District Court: "I have searched. There are no other cases which have offending at this unprecedented level," TVNZ reported.

The boys were all aged between 13 and 17 when Joblin preyed on them.

One victim said in a victim impact statement that Joblin had abused him while he was a pupil at a Wellington school where Joblin was an English teacher in the late 70s and early 80s.

He later moved to Christchurch where he sexually assaulted eight at-risk boys while busking in the city centre.

Judge Farish told him: "This offending could be described as depraved in the extreme".