Auckland man Luca Fairgray has been found guilty of three charges relating to a sexual relationship he had with a 13-year-old girl.
Luca Fairgray, a serial sex offender now aged 22, can now be named after losing his long-standing suppression battle.
Fairgray committed new sexual offending against a 13-year-old girl during his fight for secrecy.
His original victims bravely waived their own name suppression to try to protect other women.
The identity of an Auckland schoolboy rapist – who went on to commit further sexual offences against a 13-year-old girl while his victims fought his name suppression – can finally be revealed.
And the mother of one of his victims said she hoped the community was outragedthat Luca Fairgray’s privilege meant his name was kept secret for years.
In 2021, Fairgray pleaded guilty to 10 charges against six teenage girls, including rape and sexual conduct with a person under 16, and was sentenced to 12 months' home detention and 12 months' supervision in April 2022.
This first round of offending took place when Fairgray was between 14 and 17 years old.
Then, in 2023, while he still had interim name suppression, Fairgray had sex with a 13-year-old girl and was convicted of three charges of sexual conduct with a young person in February.
Fairgray’s name was kept secret for years following his initial convictions while he continued to fight for permanent suppression. Each bid was unsuccessful and his final appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court in 2024.
Luca Fairgray testifying in the Auckland District court during his 2025 trial.
But despite this decision, his name remained suppressed until this afternoon in order to protect his right to a fair trial for his new offending.
A victim advocate said the justice system was allowing “serial perpetrators to continue harming because of stupid suppression laws”.
Fairgray’s serial sexual offending began in 2017, when he and his first victim were 14.
Luca Fairgray in court for his initial offending. Photo / Dean Purcell
In 2018 he sexually offended against two girls, one of whom he raped while she was unconscious at a party.
Two of the charges related to consensual intercourse with another 13-year-old, resulting in two charges of having a sexual connection with a young person.
He anally violated another girl.
Later that night he got on top of and restrained his sixth victim, before he was interrupted by the fifth girl.
His first sentence was reduced due to his guilty plea, mental health issues, youth and a recent diagnosis of high-functioning autism.
‘Autism is not a defence’
In February this year a jury found Fairgray, who is now aged 22, guilty of three more recent charges relating to a sexual relationship he had with a 13-year-old girl.
The jury that convicted Fairgray was not told of his prior convictions.
It was not disputed that the pair had sex or that the girl had been 13, but the defence unsuccessfully argued the complainant had said she was 16 and Fairgray believed her.
His neurodiversity also featured heavily in this trial and his lawyer told the jury that failing to consider his autism would be discriminating against him based on his disability.
The Crown accepted he struggled in some social situations but otherwise was very intelligent and capable.
“Autism is not a defence in these charges,” prosecutor Pip McNabb said.
‘Women in Auckland can now protect themselves’
Three of the victims in Fairgray’s first case – Rosie Veldkamp, Mia Edmonds and Ellie Oram – successfully applied to have their name suppression lifted in order to speak publicly about what happened to them and protect other women.
Rosie Veldkamp (left) and Mia Edmonds waived their own name suppression to speak out. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Mia’s mother, Tracey Edmonds, said the victims were now relieved.
“I hope the community is outraged that via endless court appeals, Luca Fairgray denied the public the right to know he is a convicted serial rapist. Years of name suppression privileged Luca Fairgray and his self-interest over his victims and above 99% of other offenders,” she said in a statement.
Tracey Edmonds claimed Fairgray would have lost name suppression in 2021 “but for the privilege of his demographic”.
“Three of his victims sacrificed their privacy to protect other women,” she said.
Tracey Edmonds believed that despite claiming remorse at sentencing, Fairgray remained a coward and refused to face natural justice.
“We are overwhelmingly relieved that the veil of secrecy has lifted and that the details of Luca Fairgray’s violent sexual offending is in the public domain. Women in Auckland can now protect themselves against Luca Fairgray simply by Googling his name.
“This is the moment we have been waiting for. All the wahine toa Luca Fairgray hurt and tried to suppress are free – watch them rise up and thrive. Their job is now done.”
‘Got to stop’
New Zealand’s chief victim adviser Ruth Money said the case illustrated why the Government is changing name suppression laws.
“Sexual violence remains an epidemic in our country – and allowing a rapist’s continued name suppression appeals that are without merit simply traumatises their brave survivors, clogs up the courts and lines the pockets of their lawyers.
“The proposed changes to the name suppression laws are long overdue and survivors of the future have in part, these brave wahine toa to thank for their perseverance, strength and resilience during these years of dragged-out proceedings which gagged them.”
Chief victims adviser Ruth Money. Photo / Alex Burton
Victim advocate Louise Nicholas told the Herald that offenders keep their names suppressed by jumping through “judicial hoops” and “appealing everything”.
“That’s got to stop,” she said.
“He’s just putting lives at risk within the community, so the community have a right to know who this person is.
“The judicial system doesn’t take into account the strain and the emotion and mental trauma that our survivors have to face after the physical trauma.
Nicholas hoped this case did not put survivors off coming forward. Her message to the survivors who reported him to police: “On behalf of all survivors and their families, thank you for your strength and courage in coming forward. Because without that, this person would never have been held to account and he would have devastated many, many more lives.”
Fairgray is in custody and will be sentenced for his latest offending on March 31.
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