Convicted paedophile Clyde Rymer to serve additional two years for further sexual abuse

Clyde Rymer appeared for sentencing for further historical sexual abuse charges related to a child. Photo / Shannon Pitman

WARNING: This story contains details of sexual abuse

A convicted paedophile has had two years added to his prison sentence after a new victim came forward, revealing abuse he had endured about 50 years ago.

Clyde Rymer, 74, appeared for sentencing this week in the Whangārei District Court before Judge Gene Tomlinson on seven charges related to the indecent assault of a boy under the age of 16.

The charges came after Rymer was jailed in 2022 for nine years and seven months for the historical sexual abuse of two family friends.

The first victim of that offending, which occurred in the 2000s, said Rymer used their mutual love of sport to prey on him.

The second victim said Rymer would visit his relative’s house for barbecues and often stayed the night. It was on those occasions that Rymer sneaked into the victim’s room and abused him.

When charges were laid, Rymer twice turned up at the second victim’s house and tried to convince him to drop the charges.

“Mr Rymer was intoxicated at the time. He spent around four hours at the house, which included discussions about the current court case,” the court documents state. “Mr Rymer told [the victim] he might as well drop the charges because Mr Rymer was going to win.

“He also said to [the victim], ‘Let’s drop all this and move on. I didn’t mean to hurt you, mate’.”

The second time he showed up, Rymer began talking in a sexual nature before touching the man inappropriately. The victim told police he was frozen for about 30 seconds before the incident ended.

In 2023, police laid further charges against Rymer. That offending occurred in Russell through the 1970s and related to one victim whom Rymer knew through family relationships.

The victim had earlier revealed the offending, which occurred on multiple occasions and in multiple locations, to his mother but was told not to say anything for fear of tarnishing the family.

But in a victim impact statement read to the court at Rymer’s sentencing this week, the victim said there was not a day that had gone by in the past five decades when he had not thought of Rymer.

“It ruined my childhood and followed me throughout my life,” he said.

He lost two jobs because of the trauma, including one job he had to leave because an employee looked Rymer, he said.

“I hope Clyde owns up to what he did to me and the hurt he has caused me. I hope he stays in prison for the rest of his life.”

Judge Tomlinson said Rymer subjected the victim to significant indecencies and the sentencing was complicated given he was already a sentenced prisoner with a minimum non-parole of five years.

“He [the victim] was threatened, he was scared, he was traumatised and then having to recall the harm and the rejection of his complaint years later,” the judge said.

“He will never forgive you and has outlined all those reasons why.”

Judge Tomlinson sentenced Rymer to two years to be served in addition to his current sentence.

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.