A crowd gathered in Mount Maunganui protesting the home detention sentence given to teenage rapist Jayden Meyer. Video / Ethan Griffiths
WARNING: This story details sexual violence.
The victims of a teenage rapist who was sentenced to home detention after sexually abusing five girls say they don't believe justice has been served.
Speaking to Open Justice, the girls - who have automatic name suppression - have described the lasting impact of the rapes and sexual violation they suffered at the hands of Jayden Meyer, who was 16 at the time of the offending.
"Life doesn't prepare you for the horrors others' actions can inflict. Nor does it prepare you for the mental strain 16 months through the courts can cause," said one of the girls on behalf of the five victims. "This boy's actions have caused a lifetime of trauma and hurt."
"Many have expressed that nine months isn't a suitable punishment against the 10 charges he's been convicted of. Considering, in our view, a lack of acknowledgement shown by both the offender and his family, justice doesn't feel as though it has been served in this case."
They believe Meyer's sentence should have been harsher.
It's a sentiment that's been echoed by tens of thousands of New Zealanders, many of whom have signed a petition calling for tougher punishments, liked social media posts about upcoming protests and yesterday marched in the streets.
Hundreds of protesters took to Mount Maunganui's main street yesterday saying sentencing laws need to change. Photo / Andrew Warner
One of the victims said the abuse was "undoubtedly the hardest thing" she has ever been through, but she is slowly starting to come to peace with it.
"In saying that, I will never get over it completely. It is something I'll always have to live with, the emotional and physical feeling it has left on my body. The strains it's had on my life. The challenges it's caused and so much more.
"For such an effect [on me], I don't think nine months is enough. It was more than a mistake - I don't believe he can learn from such an act. It felt like he showed no remorse and neither did his parents."
Yesterday afternoon more than 100 people gathered in Hamilton and at least 500 at Mt Maunganui's Mount Drury reserve in support of the victims - and to voice their concerns at the sentence.
Students Amy Griffiths and Grace Hunt said they believed the sentence was a "slap in the face".
"It's truly terrifying how you can rape underage children and get ... a nine-month home detention sentence," Hunt said.
"It's scary, it's really terrifying.
"Rape culture is pretty prominent among young people, you hear people's experiences all the time. It's time to take a stand."
Many of the protesters, who brought traffic to a standstill as they marched along the main road, were dressed in white and carried placards - one of which asked: "What kind of example does this set for rapists?"
Meyer, who denied the sexual offending in 2020 and 2021, was sentenced in July after a defended hearing in which he was found guilty.
According to district court documents recently obtained by Open Justice, all five victims were aged 15 at the time of the offending.
In one instance the sex was initially consensual but Meyer raped the girl when she refused to be with him for a second time that night. On another occasion, he filmed the rape of another unconsenting girl. A third rape happened while his victim was asleep in bed.
In the most graphic of the attacks, Meyer raped a teen in a bush after they had been at a party. The fifth girl was sexually violated.
Hundreds of young people joined the march. Photo / Andrew Warner
Both the Crown and the defence submitted that a sentence of home detention would be appropriate, despite the Crown acknowledging imprisonment would be the ordinary sentence for this sort of offending.
Judge Christopher Harding agreed, saying a sentence of imprisonment being typical of this level of offending is "undoubtedly correct".
The written sentencing decision does not detail how Judge Harding reached the conclusion home detention would be the most appropriate sentence. Open Justice has sought further documents to explain how the sentence was reached.
Yesterday the Crown did however release a statement saying it did not oppose a sentence of home detention to balance the need for accountability and deterrence while also maximising the opportunity for Meyer's intensive rehabilitation.
"The sentence includes numerous conditions to ensure compliance and engagement with the rehabilitation programme. It also includes post-detention conditions. In addition, the Crown sought and the court imposed judicial monitoring which adds a further layer of scrutiny to ensure compliance with the sentence," said Crown solicitor Anna Pollett.
Meyer's mother said this week that neither she nor her son wanted to comment.
Meanwhile, an online petition created on Wednesday in response to the sentence has now gained more than 25,000 signatures, while some high-profile New Zealanders such as mental health advocate Jazz Thornton and UFC fighter Israel Adesanya have spoken out against the sentence online.
"All I feel right now is anger and sadness," Thornton posted on Instagram. "Anger that these four girls went through not only a horrific, life-changing event with long-lasting impacts but also that they were brave enough to walk through the process of court only to be met with this."
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 Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7: • Call 0800 044 334 • Text 4334 • Email support@safetotalk.nz • For more info or to web chat visit safetotalk.nz Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.
If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it's not your fault.
