Lord of the Rings actor Paris Howe Strewe jailed, on sex offender register for abusing girl

Paris Howe Strewe appeared for sentencing at the Auckland District Court after he was convicted of child sex offences. Composite Photo / Dean Purcell

• Paris Howe Strewe, 48, was sentenced to 43 months in prison for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl.
• Howe Strewe, who played Théodred in The Two Towers, was found guilty of multiple charges.
• The young victim, diagnosed with PTSD and depression, described her ongoing trauma and fear in a statement.

Warning: This story discusses details of sexual abuse.

A girl has been diagnosed with PTSD and depression after she was sexually assaulted by an Auckland man who played a Rohan prince in The Lord of the Rings.

Paris Howe Strewe, 48, of Titirangi, was this week sentenced to 43 months imprisonment after he was found guilty of sexual violation and three representative charges of indecently assaulting a child aged under 12.

Howe Strewe appeared in the trilogy’s second film, The Two Towers, in which he played Théodred, prince of Rohan.

The girl, who was 10 at the time, wrote in her victim impact statement she has panic attacks and will “scream and cry” most nights because of the abuse.

“I have been called a liar, a b**** and I’ve been told everything that happened to me wasn’t true,” she said in the statement, which was read in court by her father.

A summary of facts obtained by the Herald said on May 1, 2021, the girl was attending a friend’s birthday party in Laingholm and was playing with other children at the rear of the property near a fire pit.

Howe Strewe sat next to her and indecently assaulted her multiple times, the summary says. The victim told Howe Strewe to stop and moved away from him.

The next day she visited Howe Strewe’s Titirangi home for a play-date with his stepchildren.

She was sitting on a couch playing video games with another child when Howe Strewe entered the lounge and sat on the couch between the two children, obstructing the other child’s view.

He sexually violated the victim, telling her, “don’t tell anyone,” the summary says.

She told her family what had occurred when she arrived home the next day and police were alerted.

The girl has described the harrowing reality of surviving the sexual abuse and the fears she has about seeing Howe Strewe again.

Her father told the court on one occasion she saw him parked outside her school.

“I had to go to a different school just so I can feel safe.”

In his victim impact statement, her father said she was made to grow up faster than any 10-year-old should.

“Whenever she closes her eyes she sees this man and what he did to her.”

He said his daughter lives in a “constant state” of anxiety and blames herself for the stress the situation has caused their family.

Wishing he could have been there to stop it brings him to tears, the father said.

Whenever he wants to give his daughter a hug, he has to question himself about whether it will trigger her PTSD.

Paris Howe Strewe played Rohan prince Théodred in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Photo / Supplied

He also read the girl’s mother’s statement, which outlined how she lies awake at night worrying about how the “horrific and selfish” abuse has impacted her child.

The Herald has confirmed that Howe Strewe was initially charged with sexual offending against two children in January 2022. A charge relating to one victim was subsequently withdrawn.

He pleaded not guilty. His first trial was abandoned in June last year when the jury could not reach a verdict. A retrial was undertaken on the remaining four charges.

Paris Howe Strewe played Rohan prince Théodred in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Photo / Supplied

Howe Strewe, who is now a carpenter and had not appeared in court previously, declined to comment when spoken to by police.

He was charged with three representative counts of indecently assaulting a child aged under 12, and one of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection.

A fifth charge of sexual conduct involving another alleged victim aged under 16 was withdrawn.

Howe Strewe defended the four remaining charges but was found guilty on all counts.

He was remanded on bail for sentencing.

In court on Tuesday Howe Strewe’s lawyer John Munro sought a 15% sentence discount for his previous good character.

Munro said his client had no prior convictions and had submitted 15 letters of support from people including his partner, family and stepchildren.

During his submissions, Howe Strewe, who was wearing a blue T-shirt, held his head in his hands and at times massaged his temples.

He later sat with his head resting against the wall and his eyes closed.

Judge Simon Lance said the three representative counts of indecent assault carry a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Sexual violation holds a maximum of 20 years.

Judge Lance set a starting point of four years and three months in prison, but granted Howe Strewe a 15% discount for his previous good character.

“Obviously you don’t get credit for a guilty plea.”

He said a report writer noted Howe Strewe had “no remorse” and “no empathy”, and had described what occurred as a “crock of s***”.

His risk to others was assessed as medium to high.

With the 15% discount added, Judge Lance landed on a sentence of 43 months' imprisonment.

Howe Strewe was also added to the child sex offender register.

His 2002 role as Théodred is his only known appearance in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Film website IMDB says he also worked as a lighting and camera assistant on the Niki Caro-directed feature film Memory & Desire.

Katie Harris is an Auckland-based journalist who covers social issues including sexual assault, workplace misconduct, crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2020.

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