Barry Ramsay in the Rotorua District Court during his trial last year. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Warning: This story contains details of sexual offending against children and may be upsetting.
“Monstrous” and “abhorrent” sexual offending by a man who preyed on two young children has led to him being jailed for 18 years and three months.
The crimes committed by Coromandel man Barry Ramsay were so serious that Judge Joanne Wickliffe imposed a minimum term of imprisonment of 50% - meaning he can’t be considered for parole until he serves at least half of his sentence.
Normally, parole is considered after serving a third of a sentence.
At Ramsay’s sentencing in the Rotorua District Court on Tuesday, Judge Wickliffe turned to Ramsay’s victims sitting in the public gallery and told them “do not let that man define you”.
Ramsay, 68, was found guilty following a judge-alone trial in September last year of 24 charges, most of which related to sexual offending against two child victims in the Bay of Plenty over a period of nearly three years.
The charges included multiple sexual violations and performing indecent acts on the children – a boy and girl both aged under 12.
Some charges were representative, meaning the offences happened more than once.
Judge Wickliffe said she would not go into specific details of the degrading acts Ramsay put the children through for the sake of the victims. Some of the charges included sexual offending involving a dog.
Ramsay was also found guilty of possessing and making child exploitation material, and showing it to both victims, obstructing police and failing to carry out obligations in relation to a computer search.
Police found more than 1300 objectionable images on his laptop, dozens of which were assessed as being in the most offensive category of content.
Judge Wickcliffe said there were likely more images on a laptop which couldn’t be searched by police because Ramsay refused to divulge passwords.
Ramsay claimed during his trial he had the material for academic “research” to develop an A1 search tool for law enforcement.
Judge Wickliffe said Ramsay gave a “convoluted” explanation of how that would work, an excuse she said she rejected entirely.
It was his defence at trial that several incidents alleged by the children “did not happen” and in others there was “context”, such as them “instigating” conversations about sexual matters with him.
He used manipulation and grooming tactics, such as offering “prizes” for “favours” and tried to minimise his acts by claiming he was educating the children.
Ramsay was sentenced on five charges of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection and eight charges of doing an indecent act on a child.
He was also sentenced on a charge of making an objectionable publication in respect of one of the victims, six charges of knowingly possessing objectionable publications (five of which he pleaded guilty to part-way through his trial), two charges of showing an objectionable publication to the children and one charge of failing to carry out his obligations in respect of a search warrant by failing to disclose computer passwords.
Judge Wickliffe said there were no mitigating factors.
When considering Crown prosecutor Anna McConachy’s submission that Ramsay be given a minimum period of imprisonment, Judge Wickliffe said she was aware of Ramsay’s age.
But ultimately she said Ramsay was a high risk of reoffending and if released at the age of 75 he could still carry out such offences.
“Mr Ramsay, this community needs to be protected from you.”
She described Ramsay’s conduct as “monstrous, abhorrent and devastating to this family and especially to the victims”.
The children’s mother and grandmother read victim impact statements to the court, where they described the deep, lasting and life-changing impacts Ramsay’s actions had on the children.
They were no longer the same, were distant, hyper-vigilant, wary of adult men and were no longer able to feel comfortable being touched – including hugging their mother and father.
Victim impact statements were read on behalf of the children, including the young girl who said that because of her age she was unaware his actions were “weird and creepy”.
The young boy’s statement said he was left feeling anger and having thoughts that young children should not have.
Judge Wickcliffe said Ramsay’s actions were multiplied many times by his lack of remorse, describing him as being “oblivious and indifferent” to the harm he has caused.
“Your appearance in their lives is catastrophic in terms of the impact and the frankly rotten legacy you have left in your wake.”
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:
Alternatively, contact your local police station – click here for a list.
If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it’s not your fault.
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.