Whangārei sportsman Barry Madden jailed for child sex abuse that spanned 33 years

Barry Madden, 72, has been jailed for historical sex abuse dating back to the 1970s.

WARNING: This article discusses sexual abuse and may be upsetting to some readers.

A man who once represented the country in Judo has been jailed for repeated sexual abuse of children that spanned more than three decades.

Whangārei man Barry Madden defended 40 charges laid by the Crown in a jury trial before Judge Keith de Ridder last year.

The 72-year-old was found guilty of 28 charges some of which included unlawful sexual connection with a boy, sodomy of a boy, indecent assault of a female under 12 and 15 charges of doing an indecent act on a boy.

Last week, he appeared in Whangārei District Court where he was jailed for his sexual offending that began in 1977 and continued until 2010.

Madden has a long sporting history that includes representing New Zealand in the World Judo Championships and the Oceania Championships, both in the 1970s, as well as taking part in multiple national championships from the 1960s through to the 1980s.

He also played regional cricket for Northland and is the former associate president of the Northland Canine Association.

But around the same time, he was repeatedly preying on three children - leading one of his victims to describe him as the “monster who wears a mask”.

Those children are now adults and continue to grapple with the long-lasting trauma Madden has inflicted upon them.

At sentencing, one victim said in their impact statement that they suffered post-traumatic stress disorder from the abuse and could not sleep in the dark.

“My ability to have a career, travel, build and maintain relationships has been affected. This is not how I wanted my life to turn out.

“You robbed me of my childhood, and my security and shattered my world.”

Another victim described being a frightened child with no escape, no power, and no ability to protect themself from Madden at the time of the abuse.

“You are a remorseless predator who preys on children, the monster who wears a mask until no one is watching.

“I hope you are locked up and spend the rest of your life in prison where you can never harm any child ever again because I do not believe you will ever change.”

Defence lawyer Wayne McKean submitted to Judge de Ridder that Madden would struggle to cope with prison life given his age and health.

The judge took a start point of 12 years on all charges, then following a slight reduction, sentenced him to 11 years and four months imprisonment.

Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.