More jail time on the cards for sex offending Auckland rugby coach

Alosio Taimo was jailed for 22 years for sex offending against boys. NZ Herald photograph by Jason Oxenham

An Auckland rugby coach jailed for 22 years after he was found guilty on 95 charges of sexually abusing young boys may face more time behind bars.

Last month Alosio Taimo, 56, was handed down the sentence by Justice Simon Moore in the High Court at Auckland following a lengthy trial.

Justice Moore ordered Taimo to serve a minimum imprisonment period of 10 years for crimes spanning three decades against boys aged between 9 and 16 at the time.

However, the Crown has appealed the sentence.

It is understood the Crown will argue that the sentencing judge was wrong to impose a finite sentence for Taimo's litany of offending.

Instead, the Crown will argue, he should have imposed preventive detention.

"The sentence imposed was wrong in principle," a spokesperson for Crown Law told the Herald.

"The Judge erred in not sentencing Mr Taimo to preventive detention."

Preventive detention is an indeterminate prison sentence where, even if prisoners are released on parole, they remain under the management and monitoring of Corrections for the rest of their life.

At sentencing, Crown prosecutor Jasper Rhodes argued for Taimo to be sentenced to preventive detention due to the seriousness of and his denial of the offending.

"We cannot say that his risk will be reduced at any point in the future," he said.

Rhodes said Taimo had been given the specific diagnosis of paedophilia.

But defence lawyer Panama Le'au'anae argued for a finite sentence, adding the Parole Board would act as gatekeepers with their restrictions.

"He is not coming out any time soon," Le'au'anae accepted in court.

Justice Moore said Taimo's crimes were "unprecedented in this country" and called the sheer scale extraordinary.

Taimo denied the offending and claimed during the trial that his victims were lying.

"It was you [who] the jury determined was a liar," said Justice Moore.

He described Taimo's sexual crimes as "gross breaches of trust".

DO YOU NEED HELP?

If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.​

If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone contact the Safe to Talk confidential crisis helpline on:

• Text 4334 and they will respond

• Email support@safetotalk.nz

• Visit https://safetotalk.nz/contact-us/ for an online chat

Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.

If you have been abused, remember it's not your fault.