And a justice system that doesn't appear to believe in punishment
or protection of children
Christchurch man found guilty of historic
child sex abuse charges
Sidney John Hurst, 77, was convicted on eight charges relating to child sex abuse that dated
back as far as 1955.
DAVID WALKER/FAIRFAX NZ
An elderly Christchurch man has been found guilty of sexually abusing two children as long ago as 1955.
Justice David Gendall also lifted name suppression on Sidney John Hurst, 77, as the eight-day jury trial ended in the High Court at Christchurch.
Hurst's defence was that the memories of the two girls, who were now women, were wrong or had been reconstructed over the years because of their antipathy towards Hurst.
But after retiring to consider its verdicts for more than a day, the jury of 11 returned guilty verdicts on all eight charges on Wednesday. On one charge, it was a majority verdict, but the others were all unanimous.
Hurst stood impassive in the dock as the verdicts were read, but there were hugs and tears among people gathered in the public gallery.
The offending related to two girls – six charges involving one of them and two charges for the other – between 1955 and 1975. One woman told of offending as far back as 1955 and the other alleged offending dating back to 1967.
Some of the charges were so old they had to be brought under the 1908 Crimes Act rather than current legislation.
Hurst denied raping one of the girls when he was a teenager and repeatedly indecently assaulting both girls when one was aged up to 13 years and the other aged up to 14.
Crown prosecutor Deidre Orchard had told the jury the rape occurred when one of the women was aged five or six. The girl had not understood what happened at the time, but had since realised from her memories of the sights and movements that she must have been raped.
Justice Gendall remanded Hurst in custody for sentencing on June 14.
Auckland school rugby coach faces 81 charges
of sex abuse against children
JAMES IRELAND/FAIRFAX NZ
Alosio Taimo faces 81 charges of sex offending against young boys, and will go on trial in February 2018.
A school rugby coach will go on trial in Auckland next year for 81 charges of sexual abuse against young boys.
The high number of charges means that if he is convicted, he will be confirmed as one of New Zealand's worst school sex offenders.
Alosio Taimo, a long-time school volunteer and member of the Samoan church community, has pleaded not guilty to all charges during an appearance at the High Court on Wednesday.
Justice Simon Moore suppressed all details surrounding any schools or clubs Taimo had been associated with, but did not grant name suppression for the alleged sex offender.
"This is effective until further notice," the chairman said.
Ministry of Education officials are working with the affected schools to offer support to students.
"We have provided appropriate support to the schools involved, as we do whenever our assistance is sought in such cases," said Katrina Casey, the ministry's deputy secretary of sector enablement and support.
Taimo listed his interests as "God, Family, Sports" on his personal Facebook page.
Authorities first became aware of his alleged offending in 2016.
He initially faced 66 charges, but early court appearances were delayed by several months so prosecutors could file additional charges.
He now faces a total of 81 charges, including 32 charges involving children under the age of 12.
They include sexual connection, attempted sexual connection, indecent assault, and inducing a child to commit an indecent act.
There are a further 49 charges involving boys aged 12-16, including indecent assault, unlawful sexual connection, and committing an indecent act.
The 81 charges involve nine complainants, the youngest of whom are now aged 13.
If convicted on all 81 charges Taimo would eclipse the 74 charges admitted by Northland paedophile and former deputy principal James Parker.
Parker currently holds the dubious distinction of being New Zealand's worst convicted school sex offender.
In August 2012, Parker pleaded guilty to 49 charges of indecent assault and sexual connection against 12 victims.
The revelations rocked the small community around Pamapuria School, where he had been liked and respected for the attention he paid to the children in his care.
Parker admitted a further 25 charges in April 2013, taking him to a total of 74 charges against 20 victims over 13 years.
Police had tried and failed to stop his offending more than a decade earlier, when a boy laid a complaint but later retracted his allegations of sexual abuse.
School commissioner Larry Forbes said in 2013 that it would take years for Parker's victims to come to terms with what had happened.
"It's affected the school very significantly, and while the school is stable now on the surface, it's still quite fragile and will be for quite some time, given the trauma that has gone on there for so long," Forbes said.
Parker received a sentence of preventive detention with a minimum term of imprisonment of seven years.
OMG 7 years for 74 offences against children in his care? Did he also get a gold watch? That's absurd; the man should never see the light of day again.
What does a one-time offender who is not in a position of authority get, a slap on the wrist, or a slap on the back?
New Zealand justice is not meting out justice to sexually abused children. Of course, they can't really complain about it because they have no voice! The judge in the Parker case had an opportunity to make a statement for sexually abused children, but he didn't. A 7 year sentence is like telling those 20 survivors to "shut-up and go back in your corner".
Taimo is being represented by Auckland barrister Panama Le'au'anae, who said Taimo intends to maintain his pleas of not guilty and go to trial.
The trial has been set down for five weeks, and will begin on February 12, 2018.
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