Craig Smith of Christchurch has been jailed after a violent sexual attack on a woman he met on Tinder. Photo / 123RF
WARNING: This story details sexual violence and might be distressing for some readers.
A woman was subjected to a six-hour violent sexual attack in her home, while her children were asleep in another room, by a man she met through Tinder.
After the ordeal she suffered at the hands of Craig Smith, described as a sex offender whose risk is “off the charts”, her entire world changed.
She has installed CCTV cameras in her home, replaced her mattress and bedding and now has to wear noise-cancelling headphones to ease the anxiety.
The woman no longer trusted her judgment of others and was scared of leaving her home.
“I wanted to move house. There were times when I saw him, walking past my house, I am aware he knows where I live,” she said in her victim impact statement at Smith’s recent sentencing in the Christchurch District Court.
“I was terrified. I was so terrified I couldn’t call for help. I suffer from panic attacks and still take medications.
“I am too terrified to carry on, I am socially isolated, I have lost my confidence, lost my sense of self, he has taken something from me that can never be replaced.”
Smith, 40, was charged with rape, unlawful sexual connection, indecent assault and assaulting a female.
At his sentencing, the court heard the pair had matched on Tinder and gone on two dates, and had engaged in consensual sexual activity.
In April 2023, the victim invited Smith to her home, where she lived with her children.
They drank wine together and, when the children went to bed, they began to get intimate in the lounge.
They then shared some cannabis and moved to the bedroom.
But when Smith had trouble getting an erection, the victim told Smith it was late, she was tired, and they should go to sleep.
Smith got angry, pacing the room, insisting they should have sex. They tried again but were unsuccessful.
He became angrier and started slapping and hitting the victim. She told him to “stop”, but he kept hitting her and insisting they have sex.
Smith stopped momentarily, but then threatened to hurt her. After apologising, he then raped her.
The sex attack continued for six hours, while she repeatedly told him to “stop and leave”. He used derogatory and sexist language throughout the ordeal.
At one point, he put his hands around her throat. She kicked and screamed and began physically shaking. Again, he apologised and asked her what he could do to make it better. She, again, pleaded for him to leave, but he ignored her.
Smith eventually fell asleep, and the victim confronted him the next morning.
“[Are you] gonna be like all the girls on Tinder who claim rape,” he said to her.
Smith later told police he got drunk and could not recall what happened.
In court, Judge Michael Crosbie said he hoped Smith would dwell on the woman’s victim impact statement.
“You need treatment, you need to acknowledge what you have done and the impact on the victim,” the judge told him.
He said Smith had work to do in terms of what he accepted and what he was hiding behind.
He also had concerns about Smith’s psychological report.
“I have seen thousands of those reports; your risk is off the charts,” he said.
“The risk assessment is such that this was always going to happen to this woman; that is a clinical assessment.
“You have left an indelible mark on her life, the duration, amount of degradation and violence.”
The court heard Smith was abused as a child while in state care, was difficult to control at school, and between the ages of 10 and 14, lived in 20 homes.
Judge Crosbie said it was troubling that Smith’s abusive experiences became normalised.
“They affected you and at times became catastrophic.”
There had been chronic substance abuse and reported violent incidents with other partners. Smith’s risk of reoffending was very high.
“Very few sex offenders carry the risk of reoffending that you do,” the judge said.
“I don’t want there to be any more victims. I want to be clear that there is nothing that justifies your offending.”
Judge Crosbie jailed Smith for six years and six months.
Al Williams is an Open Justice reporter for the New Zealand Herald, based in Christchurch. He has worked in daily and community titles in New Zealand and overseas for the past 16 years. Most recently, he was editor of the Hauraki-Coromandel Post, based in Whangamatā. He was previously deputy editor of the Cook Islands News.