But in March, just weeks before trial, Togiatama pleaded guilty to seven charges related to indecent acts, indecent assault and doing an indecent act with intent to insult.
His name suppression then lapsed.
On Wednesday, the 50-year-old appeared in the Kaikohe District Court to face sentencing for the historical offences he committed while living in Kaitāia and working as a teacher.
While the incidents were canvassed in court, Judge Brandt Shortland chose not to disclose the precise details to avoid retraumatising the victim.
Six of the charges relate to occasions when he kissed her on the face, chin, and lips, along with inappropriate touching of her body.
Togiatama also pleaded guilty to one representative charge of masturbating while in the vicinity of the girl.
The victim addressed the court and described the trauma she has lived with, the deep scars continuing into adulthood, and how she became an expert in survival.
Warren Togiatama was sentenced in Kaikohe District Court this week. Photo / NZME
“This mamae is a deep pain, it is a heavy cloak I carry every day. His actions were not accidents, they were choices, calculated and conscious.”
She said that, when she came forward with her complaint, she was “gaslit into believing he had done nothing wrong”.
“So many of my family hold similar secrets. It seems inevitable we are all just waiting for the breaking point.
“It’s a deep cry from the generations that demand this cycle ends.”
Crown lawyer Ina Stewart said the offending was opportunistic and not one-off.
Togiatama had told pre-sentence report writers that he attributed his offending to being unable to get intimacy from his former wife.
“There’s an element of not taking full responsibility,” Stewart said.
Togiatama’s lawyer, Panama Le’Au’Anae, said the offending occurred at a low point in his life, though he accepted that this was no excuse.
“He acknowledges the serious impact this has had on the complainant and nothing that he can say will ever repair the damage.”
Togiatama had no criminal record, a 16-year teaching career at Kaitāia and Wesley College, before he went on to work as an electrician, and was an ingrained member of the Polynesian church community.
Warren Zuriel Togiatama was a teacher for 16 years.
Several letters of support were submitted to the court, and Le’Au’Anae referred to one from the Reverend Atu Lagi, in which he said the behaviour had fallen below the standard expected of a person from a Christian background.
Le’Au’Anae also stated that there were no other victims, as Togiatama had resisted the temptation to offend against other young girls.
“What he’s done is no credit to himself.”
The Crown responded to the submission regarding Togiatama’s character, saying it was a front.
“We do know this man has the ability to put on a face,” Stewart told the judge.
“This is the front that he puts on, sir, to the community. So it’s not surprising, detailing how he presents, because that’s the person he is. He’s able to do that while, meanwhile, offending against a child.”
Judge Shortland acknowledged Togiatama’s unblemished record and respect in his church community, which created a challenge with regard to discounts on his sentence.
“If I can sum up in this way, you’re not a bad man, but you’ve done some bad things here,” he said.
“Previous good character is a matter that is currently being reviewed by Parliament.
“Over the years, you have lived in the shadows, but now you’re being held accountable for things you have done.”
Judge Shortland said Togiatama’s actions would impact everybody, including his family.
“I can’t ignore the fact that, at the end of the day, this offending was serious.”
Togiatama was given a 40% discount from a starting point of three years and eight months, and was sentenced to two years and three months’ imprisonment.
He will be added automatically to the child sex offender register.
The National Party is currently campaigning to remove good character discounts for sexual offenders.
Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/Ngāti Pūkenga descent and joined NZME in 2023.