Whakatane man jailed for two rapes

A Whakatane man who raped two teenagers and made throat-slitting gestures to one in a courtroom has been jailed for 14 years.

Sentencing Kane Graham Dawson in the High Court at Rotorua today Justice Pamela Andrews also imposed a seven-year non-parole period.

A jury had found Dawson, 29, guilty of raping the girls, a raft of charges relating to those offences and a charge of attempting to dissuade a witness from giving evidence.

Justice Andrews said Dawson had twice gone to the home of the girl she referred to as 'Victim A', despite being on bail with curfew terms that he not associate with the 17-year-old.

On August 3, 2009, he went to her home angry because she had broken off their relationship.

He demanded to know if she had slept with another man, choking and virtually strangling her.

"She was scared for her life," the judge said.

The following morning he returned, pushing his way inside the house. He forced the girl onto her bed, pushing his wrist so hard against her throat she briefly passed out.

Dawson then held a folding knife against her arm saying 'shall I slit your throat?' before cutting off some of her hair. He also threatened to slice her genital area so no one else would enjoy sex with her and neither would she.

"She remained quiet, fearing if she said anything it would set you off," Justice Andrews said.

Dawson stuck the knife into a set of drawers and forced the girl to have intercourse with him as he pushed down on her wrists. He was in the house several hours.

Referring to the second victim, Victim 'B', 16, the judge said her number had been in the first girl's cellphone which Dawson had stolen. Dawson had texted her, identifying himself as that girl's boyfriend.

The two agreed to meet on August 5, 2009 and as they drove towards a local beach Dawson put a knife on the dashboard. When the teen said she did not want to be intimate with him he had picked up the knife and had sex with her against her will.

Justice Andrews said some months later Dawson had been in the Whakatane District Court on an unrelated matter when he saw Victim 'B' in the public gallery.

"You immediately started yelling 'that's the bitch that stitched me up, get her out of here'. You gestured a slitting movement across your throat and stabbed at your chest."

Dawson was sentenced to 13 years' jail on the two rape charges, three years on two charges of threatening to kill and 15 months on a charge of injuring with intent to injure. These latter terms are to be served concurrently with the 13-year term.

On a charge of attempting to dissuade a witness an additional nine months was added, plus a further three months' for assaulting a female. These periods are to be served cumulatively on the 13-year sentence.

- NZPA