The jury deliberated for more than nine hours before returning its verdict. Photo / Thinkstock
The jury deliberated for more than nine hours before returning its verdict. Photo / Thinkstock
There were tears in the High Court at Rotorua as a former Whakatane gym owner was found guilty of multiple historical sex offences against young girls.
After a three-week trial, a jury found Garry John Jones, 63, guilty yesterday of 45 of the 49 charges laid against him. They relatedto offending which occurred from the 1970s to the late 1980s in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. The victims were aged between 5 and 16 at the time.
Name suppression was lifted for Jones, who formerly owned Sunny Gymz in Whakatane before moving to Auckland.
He was found guilty of 25 counts of indecencies with a girl under 12, 10 charges of indecencies with a girl between 12 and 16 years, two counts of rape, four of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, two of assault with intent to commit sexual violation, one of male assaults female and two of assault on a child. He was found not guilty on three counts of indecencies with a girl under 12 and one of rape.
The jury deliberated for more than nine hours before returning its verdict.
As each verdict was read out, supporters of the victims cried silently in the public gallery before they quickly left the courtroom. On the other side of the gallery, Jones' sole supporter present screamed out and cried in protest. She then touched hands through the glass with Jones, who sat in the dock appearing shocked by the outcome.
During the trial, Crown prosecutor Greg Hollister-Jones said Jones' quest for sex knew no boundaries.
"The age of the girls he chose to interfere with were all under 16. His offending was often brazen and in risky circumstances. He also had a reputation not to be messed with and the fear the complainants had of him is a consistent feature."
