Teens jailed for raping tourist

A Japanese tourist was brutally raped and robbed in her bedroom by two teenage gang prospects, as her Opotiki host family watched television in another room.

Today her attackers Ranginui Rahi, 18, and Mark Hati, 16, both of Opotiki, were convicted and sentenced in Whakatane District Court to nine years' imprisonment for rape and sexual violation.

Judge Peter Rollo also sentenced them to four years' jail for aggravated robbery to be served concurrently.

"It was a disgusting, brutal, degrading crime - a prolonged and violent attack on a young Japanese tourist to our country," Judge Rollo said.

He said Hati and Rahi had damaged their 22-year-old victim's mana as well as physically injuring her internally and externally.

"You treated her with degrading violence for your own sexual pleasure."

Flanked by police officers, the teenagers stood with blank faces and hands clasped in front of them as the judge told how they broke into the Ford Street house on the night of August 31.

Rahi was armed with a baseball bat while Hati had a piece of firewood.

Judge Rollo said they saw the host family watching TV and crept into the girl's room to steal a laptop they had seen through the window.

Finding her in the room, they shut the door and each raped her several times and forced her to perform oral sex on them, all the while threatening her and searching the room for valuables, Judge Rollo said.

The pair were caught by police two days later and entered guilty pleas soon after.

The judge said Hati had been prospecting for the Mongrel Mob since he was 13 and said he expected to become a patched member as a result of this offending when he was released from prison.

Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Standen said police would convey the outcome to the victim, who was still in New Zealand, as soon as she could be contacted and they had also been in touch with the Japanese Consulate.

- NZPA