A Northland restaurant owner plied an overseas backpacker with alcohol and cannabis before raping her in his home.
Aissam Riadi, who owned the Moroccan restaurant L'amour de Kasbah in The Centre in Waipu, was yesterday sentenced in the Whangarei District Court to six years' imprisonment.
Riadi, 40, was earlier found guilty by a jury on one charge of rape. L'amour de Kasbah is permanently closed.
Defence lawyer Arthur Fairley told sentencing Judge Keith de Ridder yesterday Riadi "strongly maintained" his innocence, as was his constitutional right. Judge de Ridder said the overseas tourist, from Europe, was travelling around Northland on her bicycle in January last year when she stopped at Riadi's restaurant for a drink.
Riadi began a conversation with her and offered that she could stay the night at his house, which she accepted.
Both had beer and smoked cannabis before leaving the restaurant about 8pm.
Judge de Ridder said more cannabis was consumed at Riadi's home and there was low-level physical contact in that the businessman rubbed her leg.
The tourist then left for one of the bedrooms to Skype her boyfriend over the internet, but Riadi followed and raped her.
Riadi was supported in court yesterday by his wife and two friends.
Mr Fairley said Riadi had been a good husband and citizen with no previous convictions, except a minor traffic offence.
He said Riadi came from an extremely good family who were shocked by what had happened.
The businessman was assessed as a medium risk of reoffending and was willing to participate in rehabilitation courses, he submitted.
Mr Fairley said there were no aggravating circumstances that warranted an uplift to the starting point of the sentence.
Judge de Ridder said the victim hid herself away for several days and did not contact anyone after being raped.
He said there was clearly an element of planning and premeditation, as Riadi knew at some stage she would be alone and deliberately took her home to offend.
Judge de Ridder fixed a starting point of seven years and reduced it by one year. Riadi sobbed towards the end of his sentencing and turned towards his supporters, saying sorry to them before he was led away.