A mother's failure to stand by her sexually abused 8-year-old daughter has increased the damage done to the child, a High Court judge believes.
Justice Hansen commented on the woman's lack of support for her child when he jailed her 35-year-old husband yesterday for 11 years.
The Otara man, who cannot be named to protect the child's identity, was found guilty by a jury in the Auckland court of repeatedly raping his stepdaughter, sodomising her and forcing her to perform oral sex on him.
Justice Hansen said the man's reprehensible and utterly disgusting behaviour had caused incalculable harm to the special-needs child, who needed protection, but received absolutely the opposite.
The man, who was called "dad" by the girl, took advantage of his wife's shift work to "have his way with this child."
Justice Hansen said the mother's decision to stand by her husband had aggravated the girl's situation.
"Against all the evidence, she has continued to support you and has denied the abuse of her daughter, which to the jury - and might I say anyone else who was in the court - was compelling," the judge told the man.
He had no doubt she had done so in the misplaced belief that it would help to protect the family overall.
"It will not, because the family has already been irreparably damaged by what you have done," said Justice Hansen.
"Your wife's attitude regrettably can only increase the damage and injury to [the girl]."
The man denied the offending but the judge said it would be of enormous help to the child if both he and his wife faced up to reality.
Justice Hansen said the abuse came to an end only because the girl's grandmother had the moral courage to stand up for the protection of her granddaughter.
Crown prosecutor Sarah Mandeno told the judge that the girl was now living with an aunt.
The loss of a mother's support at such a crucial age would have a significant effect on the girl for the rest of her life.
Sarah Mandeno said the man had exploited his position with an appalling breach of trust.
Panama Le'au'anae, for the defendant, said there was little he could say in mitigation as the man continued to maintain his innocence.
He would probably be deported to Samoa at the end of his sentence.
Mother's role in abuse angers judge
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