A Moment In Crime podcast: The life and death of ‘New Zealand’s Fritzl’ and ‘horrendous’ sex offender Ronald Van Der Plaat

Ronald Van Der Plaat at his last court case before he died. Photo / Greg Bowker

In 2000 Ronald Van Der Plaat became one of the country’s most infamous sex offenders when he was jailed for a litany of horrific abuse against his daughter spanning 23 years.

He started raping, sexually violating and indecently assaulting his daughter Tanjas when she was just 9 when the family were living in Vanuatu.

For the next 23 years, he would keep her as a sex slave, subjecting her to “bizarre and depraved” abuse which only ended when she became pregnant to him - not for the first time - and suffered a miscarriage.

Van Der Plaat would use handcuffs, chains and clamps on Tanjas during sadistic sex sessions.

He would ply her with alcohol and sedatives before sex - once resulting in an overdose that left her with a permanent heart problem.

In the latest episode of Herald podcast A Moment In Crime, journalist Anna Leask looks back at the ghastly offending.

The episode also features first-hand accounts of the abuse from Tanjas, from her book Flight of the Dancing Bird which she released after her father was imprisoned.

Ronald Van Der Plaat physically and sexually abused his daughter for 23 years.

Leask also traverses Van Der Plaat’s life and other offending after he was released from prison on parole - and the last court case he appeared at before his death in 2022.

The case was before the courts for a long time before anything could be published.

After Van Der Plaat’s horrendous abuse of his own daughter was revealed his name became synonymous with one of New Zealand’s most abhorrent sex cases.

Overseas media reported he was “New Zealand’s Fritzl” - in reference to a similar case in Austria.

Josef Fritzl imprisoned his own daughter Elisabeth for 24 years in a specially made basement under the family home.

He raped her countless times.

The abuse resulted in the birth of seven children - three who remained in the basement and three who were brought up in the house above by Fritzl and his wife.

The seventh child died and was cremated by Fritzl himself.

Fritzl was arrested on suspicion of rape, false imprisonment, manslaughter by negligence, and incest.

In March 2009, he pleaded guilty to all counts and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

He was initially detained at a psychiatric detention facility but in 2021 he was moved to a regular prison.

Notorious sex offender Ronald Van Der Plaat and his ex wife Charlotte Stravers at court. Photo / Greg Bowker

Unlike Fritzl, Van Der Plaat continued to deny any abuse of his daughter.

He eventually said he accepted the jury’s verdict and his conviction but maintained he never harmed Tanjas - rather she was angry at him for not funding her wedding and exacting revenge on him with her allegations.

Several senior judges though blasted Van Der Plaat for that stance, saying there was overwhelming evidence against him and effectively the jury had made the right call.

Episodes of A Moment In Crime are usually released monthly, and so far, Leask has covered 44 cases including the murders of Grace Millane, Scott Guy, Austin Hemmings, Carmen Thomas, Karen Aim; the deaths of the Kahui Twins, the Edgeware Road murders, the Christchurch House of Horrors and the massacres at Raurimu and Aramoana.

Tanjas Darke spoke out about the abuse she suffered, writing a book and appearing in a documentary about her father's offending and her survival.

Last month a three-part special covered the case of rich lister and philanthropist James Wallace who was convicted of sexually assaulting three men and was jailed and had his knighthood stripped from him as a result.

A Moment In Crime has topped the overall and true crime charts on numerous occasions and has listeners in more than 80 countries.

The podcast won a silver award in the true crime category at the inaugural New Zealand Podcast Awards in 2021.

It was also nominated in 2022.

If you have a crime or case you would like to hear more about, email anna.leask@nzme.co.nz.

Anna Leask is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz