Man sentenced for nine years of sexual abuse in Christchurch

• A woman who was abused as a child for nine years has told her rapist he needs to get help.
• The abuse included grooming and eventually rape and profoundly impacted her life.
• Judge Quentin Hix sentenced the man, who denies the offending, to 15 years and eight months' prison.

Warning: This story includes details of sexual assault and may be distressing.

A woman who was repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted by a man over nine years has told him he took away her freedom and has left her living in fear.

“When you first sexually assaulted me at 5 years old, I didn’t understand it. As the years went by, as the abuse continued, I thought it was normal.

“After many years I understood that you were grooming me, manipulating me into silence.

“I grew up angry, I was labelled as a problem child, I was treated like the one at fault.”

She stood and addressed the man as he appeared for sentencing on a multitude of charges in the Christchurch District Court on Tuesday.

They included compelling an indecent act with an animal, rape and indecent assault.

She spoke about the impact his offending had had on her.

“I live in fear, fear of men, fear of being alone, I have been diagnosed with PTSD, I don’t know what it is like to live a life free of the damage you have caused.”

The public gallery was clearly divided as her supporters arrived together and sat on one side, while the man’s supporters filed in just before his appearance and filled the gallery area closest to the dock where he was seated for most of the proceedings.

“The worst part is you almost won, because of you my entire life revolves around survival, the truth is you ruined my life,” she continued.

“I had to sit and watch you plead not guilty, it shattered me all over again, you are still too much of a coward to face responsibility, your choices have ruined my life.

“I can’t hold down a job, I know this is just the beginning, the ways you have stolen from me..

She urged him to take responsibility for what he had done and get the help he needed so she could begin to try and heal.

“You didn’t break me, you took everything from me but I am still here.”

The court heard grooming and pre-meditation were aggravating factors and that the man had normalised his behaviour.

The 51-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years and eight months' imprisonment.

‘It was cruel and degrading’

Crown prosecutor Courtney Martyn said the victim didn’t initially realise what was happening to her was rape.

The behaviour had started with touching then progressed to touching and then penetration between the ages of 8 to 14.

The impact and scale of the offending on the victim had been profound.

“It was extended abuse over nine years, it was cruel and degrading, on occasion involving (a) dog.”

The court heard the defendant laughed as he encouraged the animal to commit an indecent act on the victim.

Martyn suggested 18 years in prison as a starting point.

The defence provided references, showing a man who would help people, but Martyn said they were unhelpful.

“He was a loved community member, he was also an abuser, this was over the course of nine years.”

Defence lawyer Linda Drummond asked for between 13 and 14 years, with a small discount for the life he had lived, and name suppression..

She said the man maintained his innocence, had no previous convictions and had provided a number of letters of reference.

“It paints a picture of a hardworking man; he is 51 and has lived a life that is contributing.”

Judge Quentin Hix said there had been a lengthy background to the case, which had been subject to a jury trial.

He said the relevant factors were that the defendant came into contact with the victim when she was young and he was much older.

Taking into account the scale and seriousness of offending, Judge Hix adopted a starting point of 16 and a half years.

Judge Hix accepted the defendant had presented character references, and had contributed significantly to the community, but the offending had overwhelmed those prior deeds.

The judge allowed a 5% discount for that and came to an end point of 15 years and eight months. He set a minimum sentence of seven years and six months.

He also declined the application for name suppression which the defence immediately appealed and was given two weeks to lodge.

Al Williams is an Open Justice reporter for the New Zealand Herald, based in Christchurch. He has worked in daily and community titles in New Zealand and overseas for the last 16 years. Most recently he was editor of the HC Post, based in Whangamatā. He was previously deputy editor of Cook Islands News.