A serial rapist preyed on vulnerable victims in Dunedin, Canterbury and the West Coast during a two-year spree of sexual offending that affected the lives of five women and a teenager.
Mateo Melina Nixon (30), of Christchurch, faces at least eight years behind bars for raping five women between October 2009 and July 2012 and sexually attacking a 15-year-old who was so intoxicated she could not move or cry for help.
Nixon, who at the time of his offending was involved in the outdoor dance party scene, was jailed for 14 years by Judge Kevin Phillips when he appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday on six counts of rape, three of sexual violation, two of indecent assault and two of sexual conduct.
Judge Phillips imposed a non-parole period of eight years on Nixon.
''This was not impulsive offending. It was premeditated with vulnerable victims,'' Judge Phillips told Nixon.
''These were women not giving you any indication of some form of relationship or desire for you. You preyed on them and you did so for your sexual gratification.''
The court earlier heard Nixon was recently diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and had difficulty reading people, interpreting emotional signals and assumed people shared his point of view.
Judge Phillips dismissed the excuse.
''This isn't a situation where there's been a misinterpretation,'' he said.
''Your actions in relation to each of these victims were intentional, deliberate and entirely criminal.''
In addressing the statement by defence counsel Sarah Saunderson-Warner, Judge Phillips said: ''One complainant was saying stop and he just continued ...''
Many of the victims were the friends of Nixon's then-girlfriend.
He shared a social network with the victims and many of their friends sided with Nixon when the allegations came to light.
The victims faced their futures with ''doubt and trepidation because of your actions'', Judge Phillips said.
''All of these actions were intentional. All of these actions were criminal.
''These rapes relate to women who were, if not comatose, without the power to make any form of consent because of sleep or intoxication.''
Crown counsel Craig Power had sought to have Nixon's sentencing transferred to the High Court so preventive detention could be considered.
Judge Phillips did not believe it was necessary.
Mr Power said Nixon was assessed as being high-risk to others.
Mr Power summed up the effects of the offending on three of the victims, saying it had affected their mental and physical health and caused two to contemplate suicide.
Nixon's three other victims read their victim impact statements to the court.
''I didn't feel safe anywhere in the world [after the offending],'' one woman, known as Victim R, said.
Nixon raped Victim R at her friend's house in 2009 after she fell asleep following a night of drinking and watching DVDs with her friend.
She awoke to find Nixon having sex with her.
He told her ''it's OK, [Nixon's then-girlfriend] doesn't mind, you know''.
He did not stop despite her protests.
He sexually violated her on two further occasions in 2010.
''It's a wound I will wear for life,'' she told the court.
''I'm sentenced to a lifetime of flashbacks, panic attacks ... and endless counselling.
''I will always feel responsible for what happened to me.''
Victim C said Nixon's rape had destroyed her relationship and affected her ability as a mother.
She first met Nixon in the hallway of a friend's house and she recalled ''he was so tall and intimidating he seemed to fill the entire space''.
Nixon raped Victim C twice at a dance party in Ashley Forest, near Amberley, in Canterbury in 2011.
He had earlier indecently assaulted her at the home she shared with Nixon and his then-girlfriend in Waitati.
She broke down in tears as she read the statement: ''Why did I let it happen,'' she said.
''These feelings were amplified when my own friends took [his] word over mine.''
Victim B said Nixon's actions had destroyed her trust in men and the relationship she was in at the time she was raped.
''Even a hug or him [her then-partner] trying to hold my hand caused me to shy away,'' she said.
The offending, in June 2011, had caused her to develop an eating disorder and contemplate suicide.
She had only recently started to put her life back together, she said.
''I know no amount of healing will make me the person I was before.''
Nixon sat emotionless and slouched while his victims read their statements.
He sat up when his mother approached the bench.
She read a statement to the court in which she said her son had the full support of his family despite his crimes.
He had a difficult upbringing and suffered from ''poor judgement'' which was exacerbated by drug and alcohol consumption, she said.
''He's always been an easy target for people looking for a scapegoat because he doesn't defend himself,'' she said.
The statement drew gasps from the public gallery where many of his victims were sitting.
''He grew up in a house of women and he was brought up to respect women and that's something I think still runs deep in his character.''
Nixon was ''determined to never repeat'' his crimes, she said.
''He told me this. He doesn't make promises lightly.''
In July, Nixon pleaded guilty to all charges.
He was sentenced to 14 years' jail for the lead charge of rape and sentences of six years' jail for the other counts of rape, five years' jail on the three counts of sexual violation, three years' jail on the two counts of sexual conduct with a person under 16 and two years' jail for the two counts of indecent assault.
All jail terms would be served concurrently.
He was also ordered to pay $820 emotional harm reparation to each victim.
As Nixon was led away by Corrections officers, two people in the public gallery shouted ''you piece of shit''.
Police issued a brief statement after the hearing.
''Police would like to acknowledge the strength of the victims in bringing this matter before the court,'' it read.
''Their courage is to be commended and we are happy that they are now able to move on with their lives. Police will continue to offer their support to the victims where they can.''
