Eight years' jail for kidnap, assault and rape

Leslie Peter Ross has spent 17 of the past 27 years in jail.
He was sentenced to eight more in the Wanganui District Court yesterday.
In sentencing the 38-year-old Wanganui man on charges of kidnapping, assault, and raping a female acquaintance, Judge Michael Radford said he believed previous prison sentences had influenced Ross' behaviour.
He has a long list of previous convictions, including three separate convictions for assaulting females.
"I don't know if it's correct to say you are completely institutionalised, but I would say that is partially true because you have a habit of reacting violently."
The charges related to an incident that occurred after Ross and the female drove from Auckland to Wanganui.
While in Wanganui, Ross locked her in a bedroom, punched her in the face, and sexually assaulted her. The punch was so forceful, the victim compared it to being hit like a man.
Ross was also sentenced to two months imprisonment accumulative after he admitted charging at a prison officer after a dispute over a phone call, while awaiting sentence.
Judge Radford said more time in prison was unlikely to deter Ross from future crimes, but it would hopefully set an example to others.
"You have spent 17 of the last 27 years in jail and, once you're out, you don't seem to waste much time getting back in.
"But you're [a young man] and there's still some hope you might spend some time in the community without offending."
He said the courts did not like sending people to jail, but Ross had done himself no favours.
Ross pleaded guilty to the assault and kidnapping charges, but was found guilty of the rape charge only after a jury trial.
Judge Radford said he had expressed remorse for his crime, and this had been partially accepted by the victim. Although there was a suggestion some remorse claims were self-serving, the importance of acknowledging the impact of crimes could not be overlooked.
Defence counsel Roger Crowley said the kidnapping and assault charges were minor infringements. The kidnapping was only transitory while the victim was locked in the bedroom, and the assault was not as significant as it could have been.
Crown prosecutor Harry Mallalieu said a sentence of eight to 10 years' imprisonment was appropriate, given Ross' "significant history" and the nature of the assault.