John Tekuru appears in the Rotorua District Court for sentencing. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Warning: This story mentions intended sexual offending against a child and readers may find some details distressing
A man who snatched a 3-year-old girl from a Rotorua daycare centre with the intention to rape her will be released from jail in just over six weeks.
John Tekuru, 20, appeared in the Rotorua District Court on Friday for sentencing after earlier admitting a charge of taking the toddler with the intent to have an unlawful sexual connection with her.
Judge Louis Bidois sentenced him to two years’ jail.
Tekuru has been in custody since the incident happened on March 10 last year. Under New Zealand law, those sentenced to a term of two years jail or less can be automatically released from prison after serving half of the term.
It was revealed in court that Tekuru has a high risk of reoffending and suffers from schizophrenia.
On the day he took the little girl, he claimed to have voices in his head telling him what to do.
Security footage obtained by police showed Tekuru loitered outside the centre’s grounds for more than an hour.
He peeped over and perched on the 2m-high boundary fence and jumped into a play area twice.
The first time, he threw a ball over the fence, then left.
The second time, he picked up the girl near the sandpit and dropped her over the fence.
Tekuru carried her towards his home but let her go when she cried hysterically. She ran back to the centre.
Judge Bidois said the girl was in Tekuru’s possession for about three to four minutes.
The girl’s parents cried when details of what happened were read in court.
Her father was at times visibly upset, holding clothing around his head and putting his head between his knees.
Before Judge Bidois entered the courtroom, words were exchanged in the public gallery between family members of the victim and the offender, prompting warnings from security officers.
In a victim impact statement read to the court by Crown Solicitor Amanda Gordon, the girl’s mother said the incident had left them living in fear for their safety.
“It makes me sick to my stomach that this man had the motive and intentions to sexually harm my 3-year-old daughter.”
She said park trips were now short and they didn’t go to big playgrounds any more. Public events were difficult for the family, given their ongoing fears of people.
She said her daughter was getting counselling and suffers post-traumatic stress. She has nightmares and isn’t able to sleep alone, often waking, talking about “the man who took her over the fence”.
“It has changed the way we live and see the world.”
Tekuru’s lawyer, Scott Mills, said nothing he could say would take away from the fact that the incident was “every parent’s worst nightmare”.
He said there were significant mental health issues and the case came close to an insanity plea.
“This man is very, very ill and needs help. He has been receiving that help and receiving medication, and he is now back on his medication.”
Judge Bidois said Tekuru had used cannabis on the morning of the incident and noted his drug use exacerbated his mental health issues.
Judge Bidois said the centre was supposed to be somewhere a child could enjoy themselves in a safe and secure environment.
“To have someone climb over the fence and take their daughter away is nightmarish. Knowing what your intention was makes it even worse and compounds the fear and anxiety they have not only for the day but from now on wherever they go,” he told Tekuru.
He acknowledged Tekuru had a troubled background and had been put in care and protection services as a child.
“People don’t go into care and protection for a considerable time for no reason and, when they have been in care and protection, there is psychological damage that is done.”
Based on starting point suggestions from Gordon and Mills - which he described as low - he gave a prison sentence starting point of four years.
He reduced the sentence by half, taking into account a mandatory 25% discount for Tekuru’s guilty plea and other discounts totalling 25% for his young age, mental health issues, troubled upbringing and the fact he was a first-time offender.
Judge Bidois said Tekuru lacked insight into his offending and his risk of reoffending was considered high.
For that reason, he said strict conditions would be placed on him upon his release.
These included six months of standard release conditions, and he must adhere to other special conditions set out in his probation report.
Tekuru will also be automatically added to the Child Sex Offenders Register. This means he needs to report and constantly update personal details with police, including address, vehicle, and internet use.
“Make sure you take your medication, make sure you get the help that you need, Mr Tekuru, to avoid doing something like this again in the future.
“My sympathies and condolences to the family because, as everyone acknowledges, this is a family’s worst nightmare.”
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.