Tamsin Trainor spent nearly seven years fighting for justice after the man who attacked her in 2010 initially got away with it. She shares her thoughts after he was sentenced to jail for the crime at the District Court in Tauranga today.
A woman who spent nearly seven years fighting for justice finally had the chance to confront her attacker before he was sent to jail yesterday.
Tasmin Trainor suffered horrific injuries when she was attacked and nearly strangled by Neihana Rangitonga in Wharepai Domain in July 2010.
Yesterday Rangitonga appeared viaan audio/visual link in the District Court at Tauranga and was sentenced to 28 months' prison.
Neihana Rangitonga, the man who attacked Tamsin Trainor almost seven years ago, appeared in the District Court at Tauranga via a audio/visual link for sentencing. Photo/George Novak
Trainor confronted Rangitonga, who pleaded guilty to the crime in February, after she launched a private prosecution because earlier legal action failed.
Originally the Crown charged Rangitonga with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and one count of rape, but dropped the wounding charge to enable the jury "to focus" on the rape allegation.
Rangitonga was acquitted and the Crown refused to re-litigate the wounding charge after seeking legal advice from the Crown Law office.
Soon after the initial court case Ms Trainor wrote to the Solicitor-General asking for a new wounding charge to be laid but this was declined. In 2014, she finally won the right to initiate the private prosecution.
It was hard fought win for Ms Trainor and her pro-bono legal team as Rangitonga only entered a guilty plea after several attempts to have the prosecution thrown out, including two Court of Appeal hearings.
She directed her victim impact statement to Rangitonga while in court yesterday.
"Being you victim was easy. It could happen to anyone stupid enough to believe in your heartless reassurances that you intend them no harm," she said.
"Becoming your survivor was harder. After the attack and for too long there I wasn't your survivor at all. What you did to me took far too much from me...
"Over the days, weeks and months following your assault on me it felt difficult to comprehend that I was still actually alive... I couldn't comprehend the fact that I had been absolutely certain you were killing me..."
Ms Trainor said she was extremely angry at Rangitonga for the prolonged journey for justice.
"Your repeated appeals prior to your guilty plea were, in my opinion, cruel and selfish...I am forever grateful to those who stepped up to help me through this process when I had felt so frustratingly helpless and alone.
Judge David Wilson QC described the attack on Tasmin Trainor as "extreme violence" as he sentenced Neihana Rangitonga to 28 months' prison while in the District Court at Tauranga. Photo/George Novak
"Those people who helped me with their skill and determination were able to give me a voice and power when I felt I had no hope - they are a treasure to me and my children."
Judge David Wilson QC said the attack was "extreme violence", against a vulnerable victim far smaller than Rangitonga, and whose life and emotional well-being had been "severely affected" since the attack.
But the judge said he acknowledged Rangitonga's eventual guilty plea.
Outside court Ms Trainor told the Bay of Plenty Times that she now looked forward to a brighter future without Rangitonga in her life.
Becoming your survivor was harder. After the attack and for too long there I wasn't your survivor at all. What you did to me took far too much from me...
"It's an excellent result. But it has taken many, many years to get here, far longer than I ever expected, and I think things can only go in an upwardly direction from here," she said.
Ms Trainor said she hoped the victory was as an example to others, so they would also feel that despite the lengthy battle she faced "justice was not unattainable".
Her mother Dianne Trainor said that she too was relieved.
"It's marvellous that it's now all over and we can move on, knowing that this scumbag is off the streets for a few more weeks or months at least," she said.
Shannon Parker, the founder of the NZ Police Complaints Association who filed the private prosecution said she felt huge relief that Ms Trainor's legal battle for some justice had finally come to an end.
Rangitonga's latest prison sentence starts from today.
