'Monster' paedophile jailed for 10 years

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A Bay of Plenty man has been sentenced to more than a decade behind bars for sexual offending against children.

Trevor Richard Hall, 62, was today sentenced in the High Court at Rotorua to 11 years and 3 months' imprisonment, after previously pleading guilty to a series of sexual charges relating to three victims over a period of about 14 years.

He admitted two charges of attempted sexual violation, two charges of indecency with a girl between 12 and 16, three charges of indecent acts with intent to insult or offend, one charge of assault on a child and two counts of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection.

The youngest of his victims was aged between 6 and 7 at the time of offending.

All three victims were present in court, with two reading their emotionally-charged victim statements to the court.

One broke down in tears, recalling Hall's offending against her and how it had impacted her life.

She was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following the offending, she said.

"I get flashbacks, I have difficulty sleeping and get images of what happened. My self-esteem and self-worth have plummeted," she said.

The victim went on to describe Hall as "sick and twisted" and a danger to others.

"Trevor [Hall] is a monster, society needs to be protected from people like him."

The other victim said because of the offending she turned to prostitution, drugs and alcohol and attempted to take her own life.

Justice Mark Woolford said it was clear the offending had a significant and permanent impact on Hall's victims.

"Your offending cast a long and permanent shadow over their lives."

Justice Woolford said Hall's offending happened between 1996 and 2010.

He said Hall had four previous convictions for sexual offences in New Zealand and 15 similar convictions in Queensland, and had spent time in an Australian jail for the latter.

In reaching the sentence Justice Woolford took into account Hall's ill health and age. Hall suffers from a severe lung disease and struggles to walk more than 10m a day, his lawyer said.

Justice Woolford rejected the Crown's request for a sentence of preventive detention and ordered Hall to serve a minimum term of six-and-a-half years' jail.

"You will be a very old man indeed if you are released at the end of your finite sentence," he said.