Paedophile told to 'rot in hell'

File photo / NZ Herald

A family member shouted "I hope you rot in hell" as West Coast paedophile William Ward Oquist was sentenced yesterday to 16 years in prison for sexually abusing girls as young as 5.

Oquist, 60, of Blackball, was found guilty by a Greymouth District Court jury on Monday of 25 counts related to indecent assault and, in some cases, rape of young girls.

The offending took place over a 16-year period from 1996 to 2012, and involved offending on two sets of sisters, including the use of pornographic videos and sex toys.

The complainants were aged between five and 11 at the time of the offending.

Two charges of common assault were related to an incident when Oquist punched an eight-year-old in the chest after she tried to defend her five-year-old sister.

A charge of threatening to kill was related to the five-year-old.

One family member told the court yesterday the girls were traumatised and afraid to go anywhere without their parents, and had been subjected to rumours and gossip from the community.

"Every morning when I wake up I feel cheated, revolted and sickened."

Judge David Saunders said Oquist showed no tangible remorse or acknowledgment of his crimes, and did not accept that he needed treatment. That, along with the numerous offences over the years, indicated he was a potential future risk.

Oquist was jailed for 16 years on the rape charges, with concurrent sentences for the charges of indecent assault, assault and threatening to kill. He will have to serve a minimum of eight years before being eligible for parole.