Elderly businessman jailed

File photo / Bay of Plenty Times

Judge Jane Farish has lifted what she called "the mask of respectability" from Christchurch businessman, restaurateur and grandfather Graham Dixon Catley, jailing him from two years and two months for indecent assaults on three boys decades ago.

Catley, now 76, has health problems including depression, but one of his victims said in Christchurch District Court today that he had been regarded as a pillar of society.

"He has been protected all these years by his money, his lawyers, and his powerful business associates," the victim said at Catley's sentencing, the Christchurch Court News website reported.

Two of the boys - now adult men - read their victim impact statements at the sentencing, and the third was read on the man's behalf by crown prosecutor Anne Toohey. The mother of two of the abused boys also read her statement.

The victims asked the court to lift Catley's name suppression. "It would be the biggest injustice of all if name suppression was to continue," said the mother.

They also opposed him being granted home detention, but Judge Farish said she would have ruled out home detention sentence even if Catley was within the two-year prison range where it could be considered.

One of the men described Catley as "the monster who took my childhood away".

"I want more than anything for you to never be in a position where you can destroy another childhood," he said.

Another victim said that as a result of the offending he had suffered bouts of depression which had eventually destroyed his marriage. He had a 19-year-old daughter.

The third victim said he had become an untrusting loner as a child, as a result of the offending. It took 27 years for him to tell anyone what had happened.

He had been wary of touching his own children, he said. "He took away my trust of other people, but worse he took away my trust in myself."

The offending took place between 31 and 42 years ago, involving touching and fondling the boys, and masturbating one of them.

Defence counsel Nick Rout said it was taking Catley some time to accept his position. He pointed out that Catley had admitted the offending by pleading guilty, and in spite of his denials in his interview for the pre-sentence report, he did wish to apologise for the offending.

He was willing to make emotional harm reparation payments, but did not want to be seen as "buying himself out of trouble".

Judge Farish said reductions to the sentence had been discussed earlier on the basis that Catley was contrite, and remorseful, and acknowledging his wrongdoing.

"Unfortunately, I was quite wrong," she said. The pre-sentence report said that in spite of his guilty pleas he still denied the offending and said the complainants must be mistaken or inaccurate in their recollection.

He said he had pleaded guilty to get a lesser sentence and he had been "worn down" by the stress of the past two years.

Judge Farish acknowledged that Catley had an impeccable record of community service, but she said he had hidden the truth for many years behind a "mask of respectability".

She refused to grant a final order for suppression of his name, which had been sought because of his reputation, and the shame and humiliation he would have to endure.

Sentence reductions were allowed for his guilty pleas, his record, and for the delays in prosecution, but he was jailed for two years two months

- NZPA