Recidivist sex offender Clint Nepia sentenced to preventive detention after rape of 14yo girl

Warning: This story includes details of rape and sexual assault and may be distressing.

A mother says the fear she felt during the hours she knew her daughter had been abducted and was in danger was “a nightmare no one should have to endure”.

Her 14-year-old daughter had been taken by Clint Nepia, a man who’d already served time in prison for the rapes of two other women.

He took the teenager, whom he did not know, to a holiday park in Taupō, plied her with alcohol, and raped her. She was so intoxicated she couldn’t walk and was carried into a unit by Nepia.

Clint Nepia has previously been jailed twice for raping women.

Now, Nepia is behind bars indefinitely, after Justice Greg Blanchard KC decided the risk to the community was too high to warrant a finite sentence, and sentenced him to preventive detention.

Nepia faced charges of abduction for sexual connection, doing an indecent act on a young person, and rape. He pleaded guilty late last year after a judge decided his previous sexual offending would be made known to a jury in his upcoming trial.

Today at his sentencing in the High Court at Rotorua, it was heard how at the start of 2023, Nepia came across the young teen walking on her own near Rotorua.

He took her to work with him, where she sat in his truck, before he suggested she come with him to Taupō.

On the way the 45-year-old gave her an open can of Cody’s bourbon and cola, and soon afterwards she lost her motor skills and control of her limbs.

The summary of facts said at some point Nepia stopped the car and told her to get out.

He became angry that she couldn’t move, and she remembered being taken out of the car and then placed back in but had no memory of what happened while outside the vehicle.

The victim suspected she was drugged, as she didn’t think she had drunk enough to lose her memory, however, but that has not been proven.

The pair arrived at a Taupō holiday park, where Nepia arranged a room and carried her inside.

CCTV showed Nepia and the girl coming and going, with the girl in an intoxicated state.

Police were called by people in a neighbouring unit who’d seen the pair and were concerned.

In the meantime, the girl managed to run off but was found by Nepia a few blocks away and brought back to the unit.

While the pair were gone, police checked the unit but found no one there.

However, they returned a short time later to find Nepia and the girl, who was partially dressed, barely conscious and unable to stand.

During ongoing investigations, police obtained prison phone calls where Nepia admitted to a family member that he had sexual intercourse with the victim.

A mother’s anguish

The teen’s mother provided a victim impact statement, which was read in court by Crown prosecutor Anna McConachy.

“This heinous act has not only violated her innocence, but has also shattered our sense of security and trust in the world around us,” she said.

“From the moment we learnt of her abduction, our lives were turned upside down.”

She said the fear and anguish they’d experienced during the hours they knew their daughter was in danger were a “nightmare”, and the emotional turmoil was something that would stay with them forever.

Once the girl was safely recovered, they’d thought the worst was behind them.

“However, the psychological and emotional scars from this traumatic experience have proven to be far more enduring than we anticipated.”

The girl had anxiety and PTSD, and had withdrawn from friendships and activities that previously brought her joy.

“Her once vibrant spirit, dimmed,” she said.

Pattern of offending against ‘vulnerable young women’

Justice Blanchard’s key consideration was whether a sentence of preventive detention was appropriate.

This is an indefinite sentence of imprisonment, where a person is only released once the Parole Board is satisfied they were no longer a risk to the community.

The judge said if he were to impose a finite sentence for the offending, it would be one of 10 years’ imprisonment, with a minimum period of imprisonment (MPI) of six years and eight months.

However, the judge decided preventive detention was appropriate.

Nepia had a pattern of serious sexual offending, with the current being the third set of offences against young females who were vulnerable and not previously known to him.

Defence lawyer Racheal Ruakawa accepted there was a pattern of offending against women but said the offending wasn’t escalating.

Clint Nepia was sentenced in the High Court at Rotorua.

She said while previous offences had involved violence and force, the offences under current consideration hadn’t.

McConachy responded by noting that while there was no violence this time, the victim had been incapacitated by the effects of alcohol.

Nepia’s first sexual offence was in 2000 when he was 22 years old. The victim was 19 and walking alone at 2.30am after being separated from her friends after clubbing.

He approached the woman and after a struggle, he raped her.

Nepia was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment but once out of prison, he offended again.

In 2007, a 17-year-old girl was walking home from an internet cafe about 8.30pm when, as she walked through a park, Nepia grabbed her from behind.

He held a knife to her throat and pulled her into the trees, where he took money from her and raped her.

Nepia was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment with an MPI of six years.

At that point, the Crown sought a sentence of preventive detention.

However, Justice Rebecca Ellis gave him a final chance because he hadn’t yet had the opportunity to do the adult sex offender treatment programme.

Nepia completed that programme, participated in individual psychological treatment once out of prison, had counselling, and received help for his alcohol issues.

He was also employed and in a relationship at the time of the most recent offending.

Justice Blanchard said the treatment Nepia received did not have the “intended effect”.

While Nepia said, through his lawyer, that he wanted to receive further treatment, the judge said the lack of success to date “raised serious doubts” about whether it would work.

Whānau had offered to house Nepia upon release from a finite sentence, keeping him somewhat separate on their land and with limited contact with the community.

Justice Blanchard said while Nepia was lucky to have their strong support, he was concerned whether that would address Nepia’s offending.

“The harm caused to each of your victims is extremely serious,” the judge said.

“You pose a significant ongoing risk to the community, your efforts to address the cause of your offending have not been successful, a finite sentence of imprisonment is not sufficient to mitigate the risk you pose.”

Nepia was sentenced to preventive detention with an MPI of six years and eight months, meaning he would not present to the Parole Board until that point.

Hannah Bartlett is a Tauranga-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She previously covered court and local government for the Nelson Mail, and before that was a radio reporter at Newstalk ZB.