Raveen Saily appears in the Rotorua District Court for sentencing. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Raveen Saily appears in the Rotorua District Court for sentencing. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Warning: This story deals with details of sexual assault against young people, and may be distressing.
A predator who preyed on young girls he met on Snapchat has been told his sexual offending is so serious, he needs to be sentenced in the High Court.
Raveen Saily, 24, from Tauranga,appeared in the Rotorua District Court today for what was supposed to be his sentencing for violent sexual offending against two different young girls – a 13-year-old from Rotorua and an 11-year-old from Auckland.
He is already serving a lengthy jail term for raping a 16-year-old from Tauranga he met on Snapchat.
Judge Andree Wiltens told Crown prosecutor Anna McConachy and Saily’s lawyer Bill Nabney that preventive detention should be considered.
He said he had no jurisdiction to give such a sentence so sentencing needed to be adjourned and the case elevated to the High Court.
Raveen Saily appears in the Rotorua District Court for sentencing. Photo / Kelly Makiha
“You have very serious offending already to your name and there are now further charges that need to be dealt with by way of sentence,” Judge Wiltens said to Saily.
“They are so serious that I consider the appropriate sentence for you is preventive detention.”
Preventive detention is an indeterminate prison sentence. Prisoners can be released on parole but remain managed by Corrections for the rest of their lives, and can be recalled to prison at any time.
Raveen Saily was sentenced in the Tauranga District Court on six charges related to the rape and sexual violation of a 16-year-old. Photo / Hannah Bartlett
He arranged via Snapchat to meet a teen girl at the Bayfair shopping mall, after which he took her to the Arataki Community Centre. He threatened her with a knife and raped her.
Today’s sentencing was for two further sets of offending.
While on bail for the Arataki charges, he befriended a 13-year-old from Rotorua on Snapchat using the alias “John”.
He met up with her and sexually violated her. His offending was discovered after a routine traffic stop raised police suspicions about the older man being in the company of a young girl.
He pleaded guilty to charges of sexual grooming, sexual connection with a young person, sexual violation, and possessing objectionable material.
While he was sexually assaulting the 13-year-old, he videoed her performing an indecent act on him.
He then sent that video to an 11-year-old girl from Auckland he had also befriended on Snapchat.
His relationship with that girl was discovered when the girl’s mother looked at her phone, saw the messaging and reported it to police.
For offending relating to the 11-year-old, he pleaded guilty to charges of grooming for sexual conduct with a young person, indecent communication with a young person and distributing objectionable material.
Saily was remanded in custody to reappear on February 13 for sentencing in the High Court.
SEXUAL HARM
Where to get help: If it’s an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
If you’ve ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7: • Call 0800 044 334• Text 4334• Email support@safetotalk.nz
If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it’s not your fault.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
