Suppression lifts in historic sex abuse case
Name suppression has been lifted on Paul Stuart Wealleans at the request of the two women who were victims of his sexual abuse when they were girls, up to 46 years ago.
Justice Cameron Mander lifted the interim suppression order in the High Court at Christchurch today as he jailed 64-year-old Wealleans for five-and-a-half years on 11 child sex abuse charges.
Wealleans was found guilty on those charges at a jury trial last month, and acquitted on four others.
Justice Mander said the sentence for rape reflected the sentencing regime at the time of the offending, when Wealleans was aged between 18 and 27.
He said: “After stopping the offending, you appear to have led a blameless life.”
Family was present as Wealleans began his prison term. They have stood by him and consider him to be innocent. Wealleans continues to deny his offending, but has indicated he is willing to attend the appropriate rehabilitation programmes during his sentence.
Wealleans was found guilty of three charges of rape, four of indecent assault on a girl aged under 12, and four of inducing an indecent act with a girl under 12.
Justice Mander said the rapes occurred at the end of the nine-year period of the offending, when Wealleans was a grown and married man.
His offending involved touching the girls’ genitals while he carried them for piggy-back rides, and committing indecencies while he played “secret” games with one of them.
Defence counsel Andrew Bailey said most people would describe the rapes as attempted rapes, and urged the judge to take the lowest starting point he could before adjusting the prison term.
Crown prosecutor Brent Stanaway said the women’s victim impact statements were commensurate with the expected effects that molestation at such a young age would have throughout their lives.
He told the court there was no longer any application for name suppression of Wealleans. The women had no concerns that they could be identified.
Justice Mander said one of the victims still “cringes” when she thinks about the sexual assault, and the other has had psychiatric and psychological treatment and struggled to maintain intimate relationships and place trust in men.
The girls had been attracted to the comfort and support of the households near Christchurch where Wealleans lived. The trial was told that one girl who had been repeatedly abused had been uncomfortable about what had occurred but did not understand it.
Category: Focus
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