KEY POINTS:
The 'career criminal' who masterminded a cruel, sadistic attack on a honeymooning Dutch couple in the Bay of Islands last year will spend at least the next 10 years in jail.
Keith Anthony McEwen, 30, was sentenced to preventive detention on a raft of charges in the High
Court in Whangarei today after admitting attacking the Dutch honeymooners at gunpoint as they slept in their campervan at the Haruru Falls west of Paihia.
McEwen also raped the woman and told the man if he did not give him the personal identification number to his bank account, she would be raped again.
Justice Tony Randerson ordered McEwen serve at least 10 years in jail before he could be considered for parole.
He rejected a submission from McEwen's lawyer Catherine Cull that the offences did not justify preventive detention and he should be given a finite sentence with starting point of between 10 and 20 years.
Preventive detention allows a prisoner to be detained indefinitely and only be released on life parole when authorities were satisfied he was no longer a threat to the community.
McEwen's co-accused in the incident, Christopher Mana Manuel, 27, was jailed for nine years with a non-parole period of six years after the judge said he accepted his remorse and that he was not the main offender.
The Dutch couple were still in New Zealand and Detective Sergeant Rhys Johnston said the impact on them had been horrendous but they were "very grateful it is now finished."
He said the couple wanted to thank everyone in New Zealand who had helped them.
"It is something that is not going to go away but it is something they want to move forward from today and rebuild the rest of their lives.
"One thing they have asked is that we now give them a chance to move on and respect their privacy," said Mr Johnston.
The court heard that the couple were sleeping at Haruru Falls in their campervan when McEwen and Manuel, both dressed in reflective vests to look like policemen, knocked on the door about 10pm.
McEwen then produced a shotgun and held it under the man's chin and demanded money.
The couple were handcuffed and gagged and the woman was raped inside the campervan while Manuel stood guard over the man outside.
McEwen then drove into Paihia where he picked up his girlfriend and dropped her home to create an alibi, the court heard. More than $900 was taken from the couple's bank account using their bank card and the PIN number they had been forced to reveal.
Six hours after the attack began the couple were dropped in a paddock and they raised the alarm.
As he sentenced the men today the judge said McEwen carefully planned the attack and obtained everything he needed to subdue the couple, including a shotgun, duct tape, reflective vests and plastic ties to use as handcuffs.
He tried to force the woman to take sedatives before he sexually violated her. The violation was "cruel and sadistic in the extreme."
During the horror attack the pair took $3000 worth of property from the Dutch couple, the judge said.
The couple had come to New Zealand on their honeymoon and hoped to become permanent residents.
"What should have been an exciting adventure touring New Zealand turned into a nightmare."
Both had been getting counselling. The woman felt she may not be able to have children and had nightmares and flashbacks. Both felt they could not return to the Netherlands because of the publicity it had generated there and the man felt humiliation and guilt that he could not protect his wife.
The judge said the attack horrified the community and had also caused substantial harm to New Zealand's reputation overseas.
He said McEwen had more than 100 convictions since 1993 but in the past few years had extensively used methamphetamine but in spite of his drug use, when he attacked the couple he knew what he was doing.
He was on parole after being released for the theft of valuable antiques from the Kelly Tarlton ship museum Tui in Waitangi in 2000 when he attacked the couple.
The judge told McEwen his addiction to methamphetamine was the prime cause of the escalation of his offending in recent years.
McEwen had lost touch with reality, felt invincible and had not slept for a week before the attack.
There was minimal remorse for the sexual offending but his current focus was self-disgust that he had stooped to such low behaviour. He had described himself as a career criminal and his record supported that.
The judge said McEwen's conduct towards the woman was "despicable in the extreme' and there was a high degree of cruelty and callousness.
There was a high risk of re-offending.
McEwen was sentenced on five charges of sexual violation, two of aggravated robbery, two of kidnapping, one of attempting to stupefy and one of using a document, all on the night of the attack.
He was also jailed on other unrelated theft and burglary charges, to be served concurrently with his periodic detention sentence.
Manuel appeared for sentencing on two charges of aggravated robbery, two of kidnapping, one of being a party to the sexual violation by McEwen and one of using a document fraudulently.
The judge said while he was not the ringleader, he could have got out several times.
There was no history of violence or sexual offending but Manuel was severely out of his depth.
His probation officer said he was easily led and gullible but had shown remorse for what he had done, the judge said.
However, he was aware that robbery was intended and was aware that a lethal weapon was involved.
He was jailed for nine years with a minimum non-parole period of six years on the aggravated robbery charges, five years on each of the kidnapping and being party to sexual violation, and three months for using a document.
- NZPA
