The historical offending happened over many years at Far North locations. Photo / 123RF
The historical offending happened over many years at Far North locations. Photo / 123RF
WARNING: This article discusses child sexual abuse and may be upsetting to some readers.
Looking in from the outside, the kind gesture from a man who offered to support a mother by babysitting her children when things got too much seemed genuine.
But, unbeknownst to the mother, the man wastaking advantage of the girls any chance he could, even while his wife slept in the next room.
Now, Alexander Wright, 61, has been jailed for 20 years with a minimum non-parole period of 10 years, with a judge commenting his prospects of rehabilitation are slim, especially if he doesn’t acknowledge his guilt.
The sentence has been applauded by Child Matters manager Jane Searle as a significant sentence responding to justice.
“The trauma and lifelong impact on the lives of those victims impacted cannot be underestimated.
“It’s important the justice system responds appropriately because the impacts are far-reaching not only for the victims but also for the community,” Searle told NZME.
At a jury trial in the High Court at Whangārei earlier this year, Wright was found guilty of 38 charges of sexual offending against three girls all under the age of 12 at the time.
The charges related to various kinds of violations, including eight rapes, which occurred repeatedly.
Justice Michael Robinson said the victims were strong, brave and resilient young women with years of potential ahead of them.
“I want to particularly acknowledge and pay tribute to their courage. Each continues to suffer for what you have done to them and each has a long road ahead.
“Hopefully moving forward they can take comfort that justice has been served because of their courage,” Justice Robinson said.
For years, Wright offered to help the mother babysit her children, sometimes overnight, in his family home.
Almost immediately he began sexually violating the children.
On one of the girl’s first overnight visits, Wright sexually violated her in the lounge and when she moved to a room to be closer to his wife so she could feel safe, he took her back to the lounge and violated her again. The following morning he raped her.
“I note now there is no suggestion, and there has been no suggestion, that your wife was aware of your offending,” Judge Robinson commented to the man who appeared in the dock at the High Court at Whangārei for his sentencing on Friday. He has had no support in court throughout the proceedings.
‘You preyed on her’
The girl gave evidence at trial that Wright was constantly trying to touch her in either her own home or his and even when she locked herself in a bathroom to get away from him, he managed to get to her.
The girl thought that by putting up with Wright’s behaviours she was protecting her younger sisters from him and was devastated to learn they were also victims of his predatory behaviour.
“There was nothing she could have possibly done to protect them from you, you preyed on them like you preyed on her, she is not at all responsible for your offending. The only person responsible is you,” Justice Robinson said.
One girl put up with the abuse hoping she would protect her sisters. Photo / 123rf
Wright violently pinned another one of the girls down and raped her, while he sexually violated another one multiple times.
“She told you to stop, you told her not to tell you what to do and if she told anyone, she wouldn’t see what was coming,” Justice Robinson said.
‘How could you do that?’
One of the victims told the court her childhood had been shattered and her innocence taken.
“I was told to keep my mouth shut, how could you do that to someone at the ripe age of 7?
Justice Robinson sentenced Wright to 20 years imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 10 years.
“If you continue to deny your offending, you will serve your full term. If you continue to deny your offending, no rehabilitation programmes will be offered. Your prospects of rehabilitation seem slim.”
Wright was automatically added to the child sex offender register.
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.
