The owner of a Hamilton indoor climbing gym who used his position, gifts and alcohol to seduce young boys has been jailed for 12 years.
Richard Geoffrey Bull was yesterday sentenced in the High Court at Hamilton for the sexual abuse he inflicted on three boys between 1996 and2001.
The court heard how Bull, who is well known in climbing circles and ran the Extreme Edge climbing centre, engineered occasions to be alone with the boys.
He took them on camping trips, gave them alcohol and gifts, then offered massages and groped them in their sleep.
His first two victims rejected his advances and stopped attending the gym.
But that did not stop the 33-year-old bisexual, who says he has had no significant relationships in his life. He instead focused all his energy on a more vulnerable 13-year-old who was subjected to sexual abuse for nearly a year.
Last month a jury took just 35 minutes to find Bull guilty of six counts of sexual violation, five of indecency with boys and one count of anal intercourse.
They rejected claims that the boys plotted against him and made allegations of abuse after being raped by someone else.
Justice John Laurenson said yesterday that Bull had started abusing the boys when he was 26, in a gross breach of trust.
"Each of the boys were keen, active and talented players. They looked to you for encouragement in the sport," he told Bull.
"You quite cold-bloodedly set out to seduce them."
Two of Bull's victims were at the top of their sport and would have made it to the world championships had Bull not ruined their lives.
The father of one victim said he used to feel angry about what Bull did. Now he just feels sorry for the man who still claims he is innocent.
"He has distorted the truth so much that he's got all his friends and family believing nothing happened."
The victim's father, who learned of his son's abuse only when police started investigating other allegations, said the 12-year sentence with a minimum parole period of 6 1/2 years was fair and appropriate.
