December 19, 2012

Abused teen offends against child

By David Clarkson

A 19-year-old who was the victim of manipulative sexual abuse has now been jailed for sexually abusing his four-year-old half-sister.

The youth?s name is suppressed to protect the family, who have been devastated by the offending in Christchurch in January.

Christchurch District Court Judge Raoul Neave jailed the youth for three years today, after he admitted sexual violation of the girl by performing oral sex on her, and assaulting his brother on the same day as the sexual offence.

The youth was on the point of tears as his mother read a victim impact statement about the effects on the family. She spoke of the heartache he caused. ?As her older brother you should have been protecting her from monsters like this, yet you were that monster.?

Speaking directly to him across the court, she said: ?I don?t undersand how you could have done this to your sister, or to anyone. I ask myself daily, where did I go wrong as your mother??

Defence counsel Elizabeth Bulger said the youth was a troubled young man, but he now had more insight into his offending. He had already been jailed in April for other matters that had occurred about the same time as this offending.

?There is no question that he regrets what he has done, including the harm to the family and his half-sister in particular.?

A psychological report as well as a pre-sentence report was prepared for the sentencing, while the youth has spent nine months in custody, some of it as a sentenced prisoner.

Judge Neave said the girl had told her mother immediately afterwards what had happened, but the youth had been in a state of denial for some time before he pleaded guilty at a sentencing indication hearing.

?You certainly seem to have felt some impact from the victim impact statement read by your mother,? said the judge.

The youth would need treatment for mental health issues, long-standing substance abuse issues, and sexual offending. The youth had been the victim of manipulative sexual offending in the past. ?I am sure this background has contributed in some way to the offending.?

?Until you deal with these issues you do present a risk,? said Judge Neave, warning the youth that he faced long terms of imprisonment if he continued to offend.

Because he was young there was some chance he could turn his life around. He might be considered for an extended supervision order upon his release from prison.

The judge imposed concurrent terms totalling three years and granted final name suppression to protect the family and the child.