Man jailed for 12 years in Taranaki child sex abuse case

Malcolm Craig McMurray has been jailed for the sexual abuse of a young girl.

Warning: This story discusses the sexual abuse of a young person and may be distressing for some readers.

When a woman who suffered horrific sexual abuse as a child confronted her abuser many years on, he admitted the crimes but was surprised she remembered them given he had stopped “by the time she was 11″.

Yesterday, Malcolm Craig McMurray, now 53, was jailed for 12 years for the seven-year campaign of grooming and sexual violation he waged against his young victim.

According to the Crown summary of facts, the abuse began in the early 2000s when the girl was a preschooler.

As the offending continued, it got more serious in nature.

McMurray, of Taranaki, told the girl that what was happening made him “very happy” and would often take her shopping and buy her McDonald’s afterward.

He also drilled into the child that the abuse was “their little secret”.

McMurray appeared in New Plymouth District Court on Tuesday. Photo / Tara Shaskey

“During the time of the offending, the defendant told the victim that people would be upset if they ever found out about what they were doing,” the summary said.

On one occasion, McMurray caused an injury to the girl through his abuse. She still has complications with respect to this injury as an adult.

As the girl got older, McMurray began to treat her like his girlfriend and would often expose her to pornography.

More recently, the victim, now an adult, confronted McMurray about the abuse she endured at his hands.

“The defendant told her that he thought she had forgotten about it because he had stopped by the time she was 11 years old,” the summary said.

He admitted to her the crimes and the age she was when they began.

McMurray was arrested and charged with two counts each of indecency with a girl under 12, sexual conduct with a child under 12, and sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection. All six charges were representative, meaning there were several instances of the same offending over a specified period.

After pleading guilty to all charges, he appeared before Judge Gregory Hikaka in New Plymouth District Court for sentencing.

The judge adopted an 18-year starting point and then allowed discounts for McMurray’s guilty pleas, lack of previous convictions, remorse and rehabilitative prospects.

In addition to the prison sentence, his name has been added to the child sex offender register.

SEXUAL HARM