Dean Whakatau has 110 previous convictions. Photo / File
Dean Whakatau has 110 previous convictions. Photo / File
Just two months after being released from prison for kidnapping and sexual offences against a teenage girl, a Rotorua patched gang member started grooming another young girl.
Dean Wayne Whakatau, 41, is on the Child Sex Offender Register and has told authorities his disregard for the law is a "partof gang life".
During the latest sexual encounter against a girl, he gave her cannabis and afterwards an unknown drug he called "crack".
The former Black Power gang member and now Killer Beez member is back behind bars after he was jailed for seven years on 13 charges, including four charges of having unlawful sexual connection with a girl aged under 16.
Judge Greg Hollister-Jones said during sentencing in the Rotorua District Court last week, Whakatau would be jailed without parole or early release, meaning he had to serve the full term.
Whakatau argued with Judge Hollister-Jones during the sentencing process, telling him to "get his facts rights" and then voluntarily opted to be taken to the police cells instead of staying to listen to his sentence.
Whakatau has a chequered criminal background, with the court hearing he had 110 previous convictions.
He made national news after he and a co-offender made an unusual escape from the Rotorua police station cells in 2005.
A police officer shows the hole in the roof where Dean Whakatau and his co-offender escaped in 2005. Photo / File
At that time, Whakatau was on remand facing two counts of rape and kidnapping when he and another man smashed a 20cm gap in the roof of a cell at the Rotorua police station and squeezed through to make their escape, the Rotorua Daily Post reported at the time.
Before doing the runner, they wrote a message for police on the cell walls saying "Thanx 4 Da Escape Cell", the Rotorua Daily Post said in 2005.
Dean Whakatau and his co-offender left this message on a cell wall in 2005 after their well-publicised escape. Photo / File
The escape at the time was used by police to highlight the poor condition of the Rotorua cells, which were later torn down and rebuilt.
Whakatau was later jailed for five years after he pleaded guilty to abduction, sexual connection with a young person and receiving charges.
At his sentencing last week, Judge Hollister-Jone said Whakatau was released in September 2019 but he friend requested a teen girl under 16 on Facebook not long after. They messaged frequently and the conversations were of a sexual nature.
The pair met and he later drove her to a house where he gave her cannabis and food.
Judge Hollister-Jones described Whakatau's communication with the girl as "highly manipulative".
"You got into her head. You told her that you were going to marry her."
The pair then had sexual intercourse, after which Whakatau gave the girl a drug which he referred to as "crack". The drug had a significant effect on the girl.
Rotorua Courthouse. Photo / File
The pair communicated frequently on Facebook messenger for the following days and he reminded her to frequently delete the messages.
Whakatau said things such as "I want to see you so bad", "You are mine", "******* going crazy without you, "Get at me", "****** love you baby XXX til the casket drops".
On October 4, the girl argued with her family about the messages with Whakatau. Whakatau picked up the girl in the early hours of October 5 and the girl noticed Whakatau was in an agitated state.
"She said you poked a shotgun into her stomach," Judge Hollister-Jones said.
The pair argued while they drove and when they got to Koutu, the car ran out of petrol. Whakatau made the girl push the car and they ended up at Waikite Rugby Club where they hid the car behind a wall.
Whakatau told the girl to get in the back seat and the girl said she knew what was about to happen, Judge Hollister-Jones said. Another sexual act took place.
Police arrived at the club and Whakatau told the girl to run. Whakatau was found inside the car in his underwear and the girl was found sheltering in a doorway of the club.
Judge Hollister-Jones said Whakatau was a registered child sex offender who made emotional and manipulative threats and played mind games with the girl. The girl was emotional, vulnerable and felt threatened.
"My overall assessment is Mr Whakatau has an overbearing and manipulative manner and the victim felt she had little option but to comply with the sexual demands."
Judge Hollister-Jones said given Whakatau refused to hand over his phone passcode, the extent of his messages to the girl could not be known.
He was assessed as being "highly likely to re-offend" and it was noted when he committed the offences, he was subject to release conditions as a result of similar offending.
"This recent feature of the defendant's history is very concerning and indicates he is of high risk of sexual offending against teenage girls. There is a need to protect the community."
Judge Hollister-Jones said a pre-sentence report on Whakatau said he was exposed to gang life at an early age and was deeply entrenched in gang life.
