Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Tauranga brother of double-killer jailed for 7 years for sexual abuses

Sandra Conchie
Sandra Conchie
Multimedia Journalist, Bay of Plenty Times·Bay of Plenty Times·
11 Dec, 2016 01:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
James William Curran was sentenced in Tauranga District Court today. File/Photo

James William Curran was sentenced in Tauranga District Court today. File/Photo

The brother of Tauranga double-killer Michael Curran has been jailed for seven years for repeatedly sexually abusing a young woman.

James William Curran, 36, who last month was found guilty of five counts of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection was sentenced in Tauranga District Court on Friday.

Two of the counts were representative charges meaning the offences happened at least once between 2013 and 2015.

The jury acquitted Curran on a further nine charges relating to a second complainant.

Crown prosecutor Richard Jensen submitted a prison sentence of nine to 10 years was warranted before any discounts should be allowed for personal mitigating factors.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This offending had a number of aggravating features, including the vulnerability of the victim, the multiple types of violations involved, the significant breach of trust and the attempts by Curran to conceal his offending, he said.

Mr Jensen said the Crown rejected defence lawyer Rebekah Webby's submission that her client should be allowed a 10 per cent discount for his prior good character.

Ms Webby argued Curran had led an otherwise blameless life for 34 of his 36 years, and this was opportunistic offending rather than premeditated.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Jenson said given the repetitive nature of this offending to allow a 10 per cent discount would be giving Curran credit for "maintaining the facade".

Judge Ingram said while he accepted that proposition had some force, the law required him to allow credit for past good character when it was clearly warranted.

The judge said he also took into account that Curran was willing to undertake treatment despite maintaining his innocence.

Judge Ingram said he was satisfied seven years was appropriate after he allowed Curran a 12-month discount for prior good character.

He said it was "serious sexual offending" and he was satisfied Curran offended in the way the victim had described and there was some degree of premeditation.

Judge Ingram said having read the complainant's victim impact statement, it was clear the victim's prospects of recovering from these events were "reasonably good".

"There is nothing to indicate this young woman would necessarily be scarred for life but sometimes the ill effects do not appear until womanhood, no one can predict that."

Curran's brother Michael John Curran, is serving a life sentence with a minimum non-parole period of 20 years and six months for the manslaughter of Tauranga woman Natasha Hayden and the murder of Tauranga 2-year-old Aaliyah Morrissey.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Rare upside-down stamp sells for $260,000

21 Sep 10:49 PM
Premium
Bay of Plenty Times

Why Lone Star Tauranga's former franchisee went under

21 Sep 08:53 PM
Sport

Wilde unstoppable: Fourth straight T100 triumph after comeback from crash

21 Sep 08:40 PM

Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Rare upside-down stamp sells for $260,000
Bay of Plenty Times

Rare upside-down stamp sells for $260,000

The rare Lake Taupō stamp first cost just four pence when issued in 1903.

21 Sep 10:49 PM
Premium
Premium
Why Lone Star Tauranga's former franchisee went under
Bay of Plenty Times

Why Lone Star Tauranga's former franchisee went under

21 Sep 08:53 PM
Wilde unstoppable: Fourth straight T100 triumph after comeback from crash
Sport

Wilde unstoppable: Fourth straight T100 triumph after comeback from crash

21 Sep 08:40 PM


Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable
Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP