Hokowai George Rotorangi inflicted countless amounts of violence on a woman over a 16-month period. Photo / 123RF
WARNING: This story discusses violence and rape
Hokowai George Rotorangi began beating a woman a month after meeting her.
The punching led to strangulations, then to kicking. Then to rape.
When he was finally arrested and remanded in custody, the harassment began.
He called her 788 times from prison, under a fake name, over six months in a concerted effort to get her to drop the charges.
Earlier this week in the Hamilton District Court he was sentenced on those charges: two of rape, two of unlawful sexual connection, kidnapping, injuring with intent, assault with intent to injure, strangulation, and assault with a weapon, many of which were laid representatively - meaning there was more than one instance of that offence.
He also admitted two charges of wilfully attempting to pervert the course of justice due to his incessant phone calling and was jailed for eight years and 11 months.
Rotorangi’s attacks included punching the woman in the face, strangling her, biting her on the face, kicking her and dragging her down an alleyway.
On one occasion he raped her and told her he would punch her if she continued crying. When she fell pregnant he punched her in the stomach until she started bleeding. He also raped her on another occasion.
There were several other instances of abuse including more punching, biting, stomping and kicking and black eyes.
One time, when she tried to escape after being punched repeatedly, he forced her to perform oral sex.
He would also ask her questions and if he didn’t like the answer he would choke her.
Then, once he was locked up, he called her 688 times over a seven-month period, and shortly after that a further 91 times.
Rotorangi’s counsel Amanda Bean said her client had a very difficult life and upbringing marred by substance abuse and violence throughout.
He was also young when the offending started and she pushed for an extra 30% in discounts for all of those factors.
Crown solicitor James Lewis said Rotorangi inflicted serious physical and sexual violence on the victim that was essentially him showing her he was in control.
He said no more than 15% extra discount should be given but urged the judge to exclude discount for youth given his behaviour at the time.
In her statement, the victim said she hoped Rotorangi would learn from his mistakes and come out of jail a better man.
“It’s pretty hard to see how you could have been any worse, Mr Rotorangi,” Judge Glen Marshall replied after reading the victim’s letter to the court.
Rotorangi had earlier accepted a sentence indication of 13 and a half years minus 25% for his guilty plea.
The judge agreed to issue a further 10% for social depravation and addiction, and 5% for youth, “because you were young at the time”.
“But you must bear in mind this was serious offending that is getting toward the upper limits of what civilised society can tolerate.”
Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for nine years and has been a journalist for 20.
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