Man gets prison for sexual violation, blackmail

A Wanganui man has been jailed for 8 1/2 years for sexually violating a woman with a metal kitchen whisk and then trying to blackmail her with doctored pornographic pictures.

The High Court in Wellington was told today that Michael George Mead, 48, had spiked the woman's drinks at a party and committed the sex attack while she was in a drugged state.

Mead, who had his name suppression lifted today, was found guilty of sexual violation with a foreign object in a High Court trial at Wanganui in June.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to charges of blackmail, indecent assault and male assaults female. The offences occurred between November 31 and December 17, 2007.

The most serious charge was sexual violation, where Mead stuck a sharp-edged metal whisk in the drugged woman's anus and left it there overnight.

The woman read her victim impact statement in court today, which she said would help her own healing.

"I still feel emotionally drained and exhausted from the anguish and horror of the last 18 months. The damage to my self esteem has been shattering," she said.

She had gone from being a happy, outgoing person, to quiet and withdrawn. She suffered from nightmares, was on a sickness benefit and still needed counselling.

She was afraid to leave her home for fear Mead's associates would get to her.

The public trial was "utterly humiliating" and she said Mead should be locked away for a long time and treated or his offending would repeat or escalate.

In November 2007 the pair went to a party where the woman's drink was spiked.

The following morning she woke and tried to sit up but found she couldn't and was in excruciating pain.

The man had violated her with the whisk and left it there.

She was too embarrassed to seek medical help and managed to remove it herself, despite the pain.

A few days later, the offender returned to the woman's house, grabbed her, ripped her clothes off and forced her to walk around the back yard naked.

He then sent her emails containing digitally altered photographs taken from pornographic films, which showed a woman involved in group sex.

Mead had altered the pictures to make the woman in them look similar to the victim.

He told her that if she complained to police he would send the images to her family and friends, saying they were taken at the party.

Crown prosecutor Lance Rowe sought a prison term of up to 9 1/2 years while Mead's lawyer Debbie Goodlet sought a term of just 5 1/2 years.

Mead was assessed as being a medium high to high risk of reoffending but a minimum non-parole period would only delay Mead's eligibility for treatment courses, she said.

Justice Joseph Williams said Mead's behaviour was "cruel and callous" towards a completely vulnerable woman.

A pre-sentence report indicated Mead did not comprehend the gravity of the offending or its effect on the victim, and he lacked remorse.

The victim's statement suggested Mead had come close to ruining her life, Justice Williams said.

It was difficult to draw a distinction between the violation and rape. The whisk had caused the woman excruciating pain and injury, he said.

Justice Williams sentenced Mead to a total of 8 1/2 years in prison, and said it would be better for the parole board to determine when Mead was ready to undertake reform programmes.

The woman, speaking outside the court after the sentencing, said she was happy with Mead's sentence.

- NZPA