A Lawrence man has been jailed for four years and three months for "predatory and vile'' sexual offending against a young girl when she was staying at his home more than 20 years ago.
Offending by 44-year-old Wayne Derek Hudson had "broken a family'' and continued to have a significant effect on the victim, Judge Michael Crosbie said at sentencing in the Dunedin District Court yesterday.
Hudson had denied two charges of indecently assaulting the girl and three of sexually violating her by having unlawful sexual connection many times between 1990 and 1994.
He was acquitted on one indecent assault alleged between 1987 and 1989, but found guilty on the three charges of sexual violation and an indecent assault relating to inappropriate kissing of the girl after giving her marijuana during a duck shooting expedition when she was about 11.
The sexual violation offences all involved digital penetration on multiple occasions when she the girl was staying at his Lawrence home between 1990 and 1994.
Defence counsel John Westgate said Hudson did not accept the jury's "guilty'' verdicts. He continued to deny the offending. While his denial was not an aggravating factor for sentence, it would have an effect on his release, Mr Westgate said.
Crown counsel Craig Power pointed to the substantial impact on the victim who spoke of feeling alone, confused, anxious, scared of telling her family and being so depressed she considered taking her own life.
Mr Power described Hudson's behaviour as planned and pre-meditated but Judge Crosbie said he believed it was a case where a pattern of predatory and abusive behaviour had developed. It involved a breach of trust against a vulnerable victim in his home and was gratuitous offending by the defendant.
The court had to denounce such behaviour as "predatory and vile'' and something which would not be tolerated but dealt with by the full force of the law, the judge said.
Aggravating factors were the number of charges, the fact that Hudson had given a 9-year-old girl marijuana, the variety of acts and the fact he tried to prevent disclosure by telling the girl not to tell anyone.
The victim was now aged 31. She had been "an impressive witness'', Judge Crosbie said, and it was clear from the verdicts the jury made the same assessment.
From her victim impact statement, it was clear there had been real effects on the woman, the judge said. She talked of experiencing depression, low self esteem, anxiety and, even at times, loss of the will to live. At the time of the offending, she had felt alone, confused, anxious and too scared to tell her family. And there were lingering issues to the extent her view of her own children had been affected.
Hudson might not accept the victim's comments, but they were the type often made by mature victims looking back. What the defendant had done had a huge effect on the victim's relationships. It had impacted on her childhood and continued to do so.
It had split a family and the victim had, over the years, had to live with people not believing her, Judge Crosbie said.
Hudson was given credit for his lack of prior convictions and was sentenced to concurrent terms of four years and three months for sexual violation and two years for indecent assault.
