NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • All Blacks
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Rapist's victim: I won't let him win

Elizabeth Binning
By Elizabeth Binning
Senior Journalist·
2 Jul, 2007 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Roger Kahui was convicted on all charges arising from what a senior detective called a brutal and depraved attack. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Roger Kahui was convicted on all charges arising from what a senior detective called a brutal and depraved attack. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Roger Kahui was convicted on all charges arising from what a senior detective called a brutal and depraved attack. Photo / Brett Phibbs

KEY POINTS:

The woman who survived Roger Kahui's terrifying 4 1/2-hour sex attack is determined not to let the convicted rapist ruin her life.

"Some mornings all I want to do is lie in bed and pull the duvet over my head and hope the world will go away. But to give into that would be to let him beat me and I'm determined not to let that happen.

"I really do feel that's what it comes down to. I don't want him to beat me."

The woman, whom we can identify only as Denise, spoke to the Herald yesterday afternoon after Kahui was convicted on 26 charges.

They included rape, sexual violation and kidnapping and related to the night he forced his way into the administration manager's Pukekohe home in June last year.

As she gave evidence at the trial last week, Denise recalled in detail how Kahui subjected her to a night of indecencies, most of which occurred while her head was covered by a pillowcase.

He then forced her into a car, planning to find an ATM and withdraw money from her account.

But she escaped and ran to a petrol station screaming, "Please call the police. I've just been raped".

Denise said she relied on a "strong sense of survival" to get her through that night, one in which she believed Kahui was going to kill her.

Since the attack, she says, she has lost a lot of her independence. She doesn't like being alone and her trust in people has been affected.

"I opened the door that night thinking I was safe and nobody would ever hurt me ... but I have learned now that bad things can happen to me."

She is trying to remain strong and move on with her life, something that was made easier when the jury believed her and convicted Kahui.

Yesterday, as the first of 26 guilty verdicts was read out, Denise allowed herself a small smile.

On the second guilty verdict her bottom lip trembled as she clutched her sister in the back of the court.

On the third, she broke down.

"It was just a huge sense of relief," she said. "I have read the papers over the last few months about the low rate of convictions for rape cases and that did prey on my mind. But, I always knew we had a really strong case. Thank God they saw the evidence and they got the right verdict."

Denise said her friends and family had been a huge support, and the police had also played a major role in her recovery.

"They have just been magnificent through all of this. They have never once judged me or questioned whether or not what I was telling them was the truth. They have just treated me with the upmost compassion."

One of the reasons Denise agreed to speak to the Herald was so she could speak publicly about the support she had in filing her complaint with the police, to encourage other women to come forward following a rape.

"Just stay strong and don't be afraid to go to the police," she said. "They will treat you with the respect you deserve. I have never regretted going to the police."

The officer in charge of the case, Detective Senior Sergeant Neil Grimstone, said Denise was an "incredibly brave and strong" woman during the attack and in subsequent months.

Not only did she survive the ordeal but she had the presence of mind to leave evidence that later helped police catch Kahui.

"She's such an intelligent woman that even though she was in a life-or-death situation she had the wherewithall, the thought, to try and leave as much evidence for the police, even though she thought she was going to die."

Mr Grimstone had little to say about Kahui and what he did.

"It is about [Denise] and what she managed to do and how she got through it," he said.

"What he did to her and what she went through, no one should ever be subjected to.

"It was an unbelievable, sustained, brutal, depraved attack, and the way she has been able to carry herself and try to recover is just an absolute credit to her and her family and obviously the support she has had."

Denise hopes the sentencing in October will give her the final closure she needs to be able to "pick myself up, dust myself off and get on with life".

"To do anything else would be allowing him to win, and I simply won't give him the satisfaction."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Premium
Letters to the Editor

Letters: Les Bleus deserved more respect

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Premium
Editorial

Editorial: Coronial inquest into deaths in flooding will hurt - hopefully it will also help

07 Jul 05:00 PM
New Zealand

Morning quiz: Feathers are primarily composed of which protein?

07 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Taihape books return to premier final
Whanganui Chronicle

Taihape books return to premier final

07 Jul 05:01 PM
Far North news in brief: Bottled water recall, writing competition for Year 13 students
Northland Age

Far North news in brief: Bottled water recall, writing competition for Year 13 students

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Doctor criticises $100k spend on vouchers for private urgent care
Northern Advocate

Doctor criticises $100k spend on vouchers for private urgent care

07 Jul 05:00 PM
News in brief:
Northern Advocate

News in brief:

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Council funding critical to continue Masters Games
Whanganui Chronicle

Council funding critical to continue Masters Games

07 Jul 05:00 PM

Latest from New Zealand

Premium
Letters: Les Bleus deserved more respect

Letters: Les Bleus deserved more respect

07 Jul 05:00 PM

OPINION: Media got it horribly wrong by underetimating the French rugby team

Premium
Editorial: Coronial inquest into deaths in flooding will hurt - hopefully it will also help

Editorial: Coronial inquest into deaths in flooding will hurt - hopefully it will also help

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Morning quiz: Feathers are primarily composed of which protein?

Morning quiz: Feathers are primarily composed of which protein?

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Premium
Family claims dogs shot, possibly used as bait in alleged fight

Family claims dogs shot, possibly used as bait in alleged fight

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search