James Tatham-Tahere, pictured at an earlier appearance via audio-visual link in the Rotorua District Court. Photo / NZME
This article describes an indecent assault on a teenage girl and may be upsetting for some readers.
A “monster” who broke into a Rotorua family’s home and indecently assaulted a teenage girl while she slept has been jailed for nearly three years.
The girl’s mother told the court of her daughter’s lasting trauma after she woke up to a stranger on top of her, and said the teen no longer felt safe in her own home.
Judge Joanne Wickliffe told James Tatham-Tahere he was “every family’s and every woman’s worst nightmare” as she handed down his sentence in the Rotorua District Court yesterday.
“You’re the monster that we’re afraid will come in the window and harm us or our children.”
Wickliffe said the Rotorua man, aged 21 at the time of offending, had an “unhealthy and disturbing” preoccupation with children and “some sort of fetish”.
The crimes occurred on December 3, 2024, when he broke into a Rotorua family’s home through an open window while they were sleeping.
He collected dirty laundry, specifically female underwear belonging to the 14-year-old victim and her two younger sisters.
He went into the 14-year-old’s bedroom. Just after 1am, she awoke to him lying on top of her and felt him trying to “turn her by the buttock area”.
She screamed, he ran, and the girl’s parents woke up.
Tatham-Tahere was arrested the following day, and a search warrant was executed at his address. The bag containing the female underwear was located.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of doing an indecent act on a young person and one charge of burglary.
He initially denied the indecent act charge, and had elected a trial by jury, but changed his plea in February.
At sentencing yesterday, Crown prosecutor Laurie McMaster said it was a “terrifying incident” with “lifelong” impacts for the family.
McMaster said a starting sentence of three years and eight months’ imprisonment was justified. She asked for his release conditions to include not being able to enter Rotorua.
Tatham-Tahere‘s lawyer, Xu Wang, asked for a two-year starting point.
He asked for discounts relating to his client’s age and previous good character.
Judge Wickliffe commended the police for the quick arrest as she considered Tatham-Tahere “a very dangerous person to have in the community”.
Wickliffe said his pre-sentence report said he had an “above average risk of sexual offending in the future”.
She said aggravating factors included unlawful entry into a home at night with five occupants, the victim’s vulnerability, “planning and premeditation”, the nature of the offending with children’s underwear, and the harm done to the victim and her family.
Wickliffe noted the report said British police referred to these types of offences as “creeper burglaries”.
“I think that’s a very good description of what you did.”
Wickliffe said the victim had already been scared of the dark and had only just gained confidence about being safe at home.
“All her fears came to life when you broke into her house and assaulted her while she was at her most vulnerable.”
She said a sentence of three years and six months’ imprisonment was an appropriate starting point.
Wickliffe allowed a 10% discount for his guilty plea, 5% for a lack of previous convictions, and 5% for his youth contributing to “a lack of judgment to some extent”.
She convicted and sentenced him to two years, nine months and two weeks’ imprisonment. The parole board would decide on his release conditions.
Wickliffe said she hoped he would do a sex offenders’ course in prison because “the community’s not safe until you get that help”.
Wickliffe said Tatham-Tahere would be registered on the Child Sex Offender Register, a decision met with applause from the public gallery.
The teenager’s mother was tearful when she read her victim impact statement to the court.
“You, James, had sat in our lounge and sifted through the girls’ dirty laundry until you found what you wanted - their dirty underwear. You then went back into [our daughter’s] room and indecently assaulted her. You are sick,” she said as she faced him in the dock.
She said Tatham-Tahere had “targeted” her daughter after a phone search found he had searched Instagram for her first name.
“How long had you been watching us?”
Her daughter was unable to sleep alone for 13 months. It was a “massive step” for her to sleep in her bedroom again, which now had a lock.
“She still can’t get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and she calls me if she needs to.
“As a mother, it’s the most heartbreaking pain to see your child feel unsafe when you are right by her side in her own home.”
The mother said her daughter was a “warrior and a hero and this will not define her”.
She also read her daughter’s victim impact statement.
“I now feel unsafe in my own home.
“I can’t go on a run, walk, or play outside with my sisters, or mow the lawns without feeling unsafe and the need to look around me all the time.
“I never want anyone else to go through this and I want him punished as much as possible. I want him to know he should never do this again.”
Where to get 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 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 visitsafetotalk.nz
Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.
If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it’s not your fault.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.