Hundreds of young people have turned out at protests across the country today, after a teenager who raped four girls and sexually violated another was sentenced to home detention.
This afternoon's protests, taking place in Mt Maunganui, Whanganui, Gisborne and Taupō, were organised in recent days in response target="_blank">to the sentence handed down to teenager Jayden Meyer, who violated the five 15-year-olds across 2020 and 2021.
Multiple police complaints were laid and he was eventually convicted; sentenced to nine months home detention in July.
Around 250 people gathered at Mt Maunganui's Mount Drury reserve about 4:30pm, with many dressed in white and carrying placards.
"What kind of example does this set for rapists?" one read.
The crowd, growing to around 400, then marched to Maunganui Rd chanting "we want justice".
Protesters marched through cafe and restaurant patrons sitting at tables on the footpath, and spilled on to the road, with traffic at a standstill just as rush hour hit. However motorists didn't seem to mind, with the majority tooting their support.
Tauranga students Amy Griffiths and Grace Hunt said they wanted to protest today as the nine-month-home detention sentence was a "slap in the face".
"It's truly terrifying how you can rape underage children and get away ... with a 9-month home detention sentence," Hunt said.
"It's scary, it's really terrifying.
"Rape culture is pretty prominent among young people, you hear people's experiences all the time. It's time to take a stand."
Since Open Justice revealed the case on Tuesday, public backlash has been immense.
An Instagram post made by Tauranga barber Spencer McNeil received more than 100,000 responses, leading the 18-year-old to organise a protest in Mt Maunganui.
"This is a peaceful protest. We will not block the roads, we will not encroach on people's businesses," McNeil posted on his page.
Further protests organised by others followed, supported by some high-profile Kiwis on social media.
Tracey Thomas travelled from Matamata to be at the Mt Maunganui protest and said the nine months home detention sentence was scary.
"It's a holiday. It's really shocking. That's not even 2 months per girl.
"It's just creating more entitlement and it's not setting any precedent whatsoever."
The crowd finished their march about 5:30pm and gathered on the side of Mt Drury before erupting in chants of "f*** the system".
Blair Gilbert, the chief executive of Bay of Plenty and Waikato sexual harm support service Tautoko Mai, said it's important the community rallies together against sexual violence.
"We are aware that the recent sentencing of a young offender is difficult for many people in our communities to understand. This is a crime that cannot be minimised," he said.
"What we need is to enable social change. We need to show that we, as a community, do not accept sexual violence or harm, in any shape or form."
An online petition calling for a harsher sentence has so far received more than 23,000 responses.
According to district court documents obtained by Open Justice, all five victims were aged 15 at the time of the attacks. Meyer was 16.
In one instance the sex was initially consensual but Meyer raped the girl when she refused to be with him for a second time that night. On another occasion, he filmed the rape of another unconsenting girl. A third rape happened while his victim was asleep in bed.
In the most graphic of the attacks, Meyer raped an intoxicated teen in a bush after they had been at a party. The Judge's sentencing decision details how that victim, who was a virgin, "protested to no avail".
Meyer, who has no criminal history, pleaded not guilty to all charges but was later found guilty.
A psychologist, who saw Meyer 30 times during the prosecution, found he had a medium risk of reoffending, and continues to minimise the effect of his crimes.
Both Crown prosecutor Anna Pollett and Meyer's lawyer Rachael Adams submitted that a sentence of home detention would be most appropriate - despite the Crown accepting imprisonment would be the ordinary sentence for this sort of offending; "and indeed one of many years".
Judge Harding agreed, saying a sentence of imprisonment being typical of this level of offending is "undoubtedly correct".
The written sentencing decision does not detail how Judge Harding reached the conclusion home detention would be the most appropriate sentence.
"I accept the probation report and the submissions of counsel that home detention on all charges is the appropriate outcome," Harding's decision says.
Open Justice has requested further court documents detailing how the sentence was reached.
Meyer, who is now living north of Auckland, was sentenced to nine months' home detention and a further 12 months of post-release conditions, including a ban on associating with anyone under 16 and attending a sexual violence prevention programme.
The prosecution comes after an Auckland teenager pleaded guilty to rape and sexual assault against five victims between 2017 and 2020.
He was sentenced in April to 12 months' home detention and a further 12 months supervision. Judge Claire Ryan handed down the sentence after hearing expert advice that sending the teen to prison would allow him to learn from more experienced sexual offenders.
The teen's name is currently suppressed while he awaits the outcome of a name suppression appeal.