'Heartless' sex offender sentenced to 13 1/2 years

A sexual predator who raped a 3-year-old girl to get back at his partner has been sentenced to 13 1/2 years' jail.

In the High Court at Auckland yesterday, Justice John Priestley told the 27-year-old Mangere man that his behaviour was evil, despicable and warped.

The man had told a psychiatrist and a probation officer that the sexual offences against the girl were motivated by anger towards his partner, the girl's mother.

"In other words, you deliberately inflicted sexual crimes on your stepdaughter, a defenceless 3-year-old, as a way of punishing [your partner]."

The judge said it was evil and warped to make a little girl pay for conflict between adults.

Justice Priestley said the man had ignored the girl's distress. On one occasion, the child repeatedly cried "No, daddy. No, daddy."

Earlier, the man pleaded guilty to raping the girl and to charges of oral sex with her. He also admitted indecently assaulting a 2-year-old child who was asleep.

He was found guilty by a jury of rape, unlawful sexual connection and indecent assault involving one teenage girl and indecent assault on another.

He also pleaded guilty to two burglaries, at a school and at Farmers Trading in Mangere.

The older girls said in their victim impact statements that they had attempted suicide as a result of the abuse. One of the girls said she felt like "trash."

Justice Priestley said the man had the audacity to tell the jury that she had consented to sex.

Having watched his "heartless performance" in the witness box, the judge said he was not surprised the jury did not believe him.

The judge noted the man had "perhaps somewhat ostentatiously" taken to carrying a Bible with him throughout the trial.

"You need to do more than carry a Bible," the judge told him.

He needed to read and understand it and follow its precepts.

What, the judge asked, would have been Christ's reaction if he had sat through the evidence of the two teenagers, and what would he have thought if he had seen what the man did to his stepdaughter.

The evil he had committed had blighted the girl's life.

Prosecutor Peter Dean called for preventive detention, or a finite sentence of between 10 and 12 years.

Defence counsel Mary Tuilotolava sought six to seven years.

Imposing sentence of 13 1/2 years, Justice Priestley noted that the man would be eligible for parole in nine years.

He suppressed any details leading to the identification of the man's victims.