Man jailed for sexual abuse after girl attends Keeping Ourselves Safe seminar at school

Paulo Dias' victim says she realised what happened was wrong when she attended a Keeping Ourselves Safe seminar at school. Photo / 123rf

Warning: This story contains details of sexual offending against a child and may be upsetting.

A woman has told the man who sexually abused her when she was 11 that his offending has affected her so greatly she will continue to “cry until there are no tears left”.

“At the time I didn’t know anything about sex or assault, at the time I knew it felt wrong, he persuaded me that it felt right, he was a trusting adult that told me it was right,” she said as Paulo Alexandre Serrao Dias, 59, was sentenced in court.

“I feel like a part of me was taken away, I don’t feel safe anymore, I don’t trust people the way I used to, sometimes I feel angry.”

The victim, 19, who was aged 11 at the time, was in tears as she addressed Dias in the Christchurch District Court last week.

“I built a wall around my life, I feel I have been stripped of my safety, I lost self-motivation, he made me so confused, he turned it all around to make it all my problem.”

Dias, who was known to the victim, abused her on two occasions several years ago but continues to deny his offending, despite being found guilty by a jury.

‘Imprisonment is a price to pay’

The victim’s stepmother stood and addressed Dias, telling him her stepdaughter had at times lost her will to live.

“She has shown maturity and bravery through the years; we wish this is something she never had to endure.

“There is no question that imprisonment is a price to pay for the damage you have caused to an innocent child and her family.”

The girl said she felt uncomfortable the first time Dias abused her but he “kept reassuring me that it was all right, that it was the right thing to do and that it was our secret”.

On the second occasion, she told him to stop, but he ignored her.

The victim realised what happened was wrong when she attended a Keeping Ourselves Safe seminar at school.

Judge Michael Crosbie said the victim confronted Dias after the seminar but he laughed at her.

The judge said Dias was found guilty in March by a jury of two charges of unlawful sexual connection. It was the second jury trial Dias had faced, with the victim and her family attending and giving evidence on both occasions, after the jury at the first one were unable to agree and verdicts were not returned.

‘You will encourage others to come forward’

The judge acknowledged the victim’s bravery in coming forward.

“In no small way you will encourage others to come forward. I know the justice system is far from perfect, we have tried to make it easier over the years.

“I’m not saying this was easy for you. Your impact statement will resound with me, these types of things tear families apart.”

Judge Crosbie told Dias he needed to reflect on what he had told police.

“It’s not unusual for men who don’t accept verdicts to change their minds as time goes on, you preyed on this young woman, this young child.”

Judge Crosbie sentenced Dias to four years and six months’ jail.

Dias was also placed on the Child Sex Offenders Register as part of his sentencing.

Al Williams is an Open Justice reporter for the New Zealand Herald, based in Christchurch. He has worked in daily and community titles in New Zealand and overseas for the last 16 years. Most recently he was editor of the Hauraki-Coromandel Post, based in Whangamatā. He was previously deputy editor of the Cook Islands News.