Rotorua man sent to prison for historic sexual abuse

Sean Victor Tipene Smale was sentenced in the Rotorua District Court to nine years imprisonment. Photo / File

A Rotorua man has been sentenced to nine years' imprisonment for the historic and repeated sexual offending on two boys.

Sean Victor Tipene Smale appeared in the Rotorua District Court today on five charges, one representative, of unlawful sexual connection and indecent assault.

Smale was found guilty of the offending, which took place in 2002, by a jury at the end of last year.

Judge Greg Hollister-Jones sentenced Smale to prison today and outlined Smale's offending.

Smale, then 31, met the main victim when he was 12, going on 13, and in his first year of high school.
"[The victim] had a poor relationship with his father. You invited him and his friend to your place to smoke cannabis and he started visiting your home regularly, particularly on weekends," Judge Hollister-Jones said.

"You supplied him and his friends with cannabis and alcohol."

Between May and December of 2002, Smale sexually abused the victim at least 20 times by touching his genitals and putting them in his mouth.

"He says he considered his childhood innocence taken away as a result of this," Judge Hollister-Jones said.

"He was ashamed and embarrassed, he bottled things up and it's had an ongoing effect on his relationship with his mother and his life.

"The disclosure of this has assisted his recovery."

Only one charge of unlawful sexual connection related to a second victim.

The Judge told Smale his offending had been pre-meditated and repetitive, and his victims were vulnerable.

"There was an 18 and a half year age disparity. They were both between 12 and 13 and often intoxicated by alcohol supplied by you."

A victim impact statement written by one of his two victims was read to the court.

In it, the victim, who was 12 at the time of the offending, said it had caused ongoing physical, emotional and mental pain for him and his mother and strained their relationship.

"For the first time in 15 years, I'm getting my self-respect back. After all this is over I have a shot at living a normal life."

While Smale accepted the guilty verdict, the judge said Smale claimed to have no memory of the offending "and believe you would not be capable of it".

"There is not full acceptance of responsibility and there is no evident remorse."

Smale was ordered to serve nine years' imprisonment on three charges of unlawful sexual connection relating to the same victim as well as two years to be served concurrently on the indecent assault charge and four years to be served concurrently on the unlawful sexual connection charge relating to the second victim.