\n
<\/p>\n
She also spoke of the damage to her faith, and the way Tarei had used her faith against her.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me I didn\u2019t pray enough, that demons were attached to me, that I smiled at too many people,\u201d she said in her victim impact statement.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cYou would pray in front of me, claiming to be supportive and loving while directly insulting me … I still panic whenever somebody tries to pray for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
She had withdrawn from church communities, as she couldn\u2019t cope with people greeting her, nor seeing people praying and worshipping.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I see is you on your knees, singing your heart out, while I sit there still in pain from the last assault.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
While her faith had previously been a \u201csource of comfort and strength\u201d, now the \u201cshame and confusion\u201d she carried made it difficult \u201cto feel worthy of that connection anymore\u201d.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
After Alison, and her mother, had read their victim impact statements and the judge had heard from the lawyers, Tarei, who was appearing by audio-visual link, indicated he wanted to say something.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
After a short adjournment, his lawyer Peter Attwood told the court Tarei had written a letter of remorse.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Tarei was permitted to read it, and it began with him apologising and seeking forgiveness.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Then he began to pray.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI bless you in the name of Jesus,\u201d Tarei read.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cMay God\u2019s plan for your life come to fruition… that you will become the woman, the mother, and the wife that God has proposed for you to be… His grace and favour be upon you.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI break any curse and anxieties in Jesus\u2019 name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The prayer went on, asking God to heal \u201call wounds of the heart… wounds of rejection… and all the emotional abuse you have suffered from my actions\u201d.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
He concluded by saying, \u201cI pray that God, as the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace as you trust in Him.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce again, I\u2019m truly sorry and remorseful for my actions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
While the man read the letter, the young woman turned her face away, and it appeared to redden as she folded her arms tightly, and looked down.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Speaking to NZME\u00a0after the sentencing, the young woman explained that each time Tarei would assault her, he would \u201cpray over [her]\u201d.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he prayed over me via his apology letter, it brought me right back to the place of each assault. He showed no remorse or accountability to me at all. All it did was reignite my trauma.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
\n\u2018My body and my mind isn\u2019t waiting for justice, it\u2019s waiting for safety\u2019, victim says
\n
<\/p>\n
Before sentencing Tarei, Judge David Cameron outlined the circumstances related to the four rapes for which the 34-year-old had been found guilty by a jury last year.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The first happened when Tarei visited Alison at her home, and they had been kissing on her bed when he tried to take things further.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
As he pulled down her pants, she said, \u201cNo, I don\u2019t really want to\u201d.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
As she pulled her pants back up, the summary of facts said his behaviour changed from \u201ckind to grumpy\u201d.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
He told her to \u201cshut up\u201d and she tried to push him away but he raped her.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The second rape happened when he visited her while she was housesitting and, after falling asleep watching a film, she awoke to him pulling her pants down.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
She asked what he was doing, and the summary of facts said he replied, \u201cnothing, go back to sleep, you\u2019re dreaming\u201d, before he raped her.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The other two rapes happened on the same night, when they were staying at a motel in another town.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
During the first, he forced himself on her despite her saying no.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Then he tried to initiate sexual contact a second time and when Alison again refused, saying \u201cstop\u201d and rolling to the edge of the bed, he placed his hand around the her throat lightly at first, using the other hand to try and remove her shorts.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
He squeezed her throat tighter until she could not swallow or breathe, and lost consciousness.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
When she came to, she was being raped.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Both Alison and her mother said, in their victim impact statements, that the incidents had hugely impacted their family and their ability to trust others.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Alison\u2019s mother said when her daughter was out of town with Tarei, she\u2019d had \u201can awful pit in [her] stomach\u201d and had cried \u201coff and on all weekend\u201d, not understanding why.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
She had known her daughter didn\u2019t want to go, but as she was over 18, she didn\u2019t feel it was her right to stop her.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
She struggled with \u201cimmense guilt\u201d over this decision and, having trusted Tarei with her daughter, questions her ability to \u201cform accurate assessments of people\u201d.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Alison said her relationships with male family members had been impacted.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cNot because I think they would hurt me, but knowing they could.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
She struggled to do basic tasks that previously had been effortless, needed support around her home, and had panic attacks most days.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
It had put an end to her plan to pursue university qualifications.<\/p>\n
\n
\n\u201cPeople tell me that once court is over, I can heal,\u201d she said.
\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I tell myself that too. But my body and my mind isn\u2019t waiting for justice, it\u2019s waiting for safety.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
\nOngoing effects include night terrors, insomnia and paranoia
\n
<\/p>\n
Crown prosecutor Molly Tutton-Harris sought a starting point for the rapes and strangulation of between 13 and 14 years\u2019 imprisonment, taking into account totality.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
She pointed to aggravating features that included planning and premeditation, victim vulnerability, and the violence and degree of violation.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The Crown sought a three-month uplift for previous offending, as Tarei had previous convictions for violence.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Tutton-Harris also asked for a further five-month uplift because he\u2019d been serving community work sentences at the time of the offending.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Attwood acknowledged that in a pre-sentence report, prepared before Tarei had written a remorse letter, he continued to deny the offending.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
However, he highlighted that Tarei had expressed willingness to engage in rehabilitative programmes.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Judge Cameron adopted a starting point of 10 years\u2019 imprisonment for the rape charges and the strangulation charge.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
He acknowledged the high degree of victim vulnerability and the ongoing effects of the offending, including the young woman\u2019s night terrors, insomnia and paranoia.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
He did not accept there had been premeditation, however.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
He uplifted the starting point by four months for Tarei\u2019s previous convictions.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
He gave a 5% discount for prospects of rehabilitation, and 5% for the limited expressions of remorse.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
He sentenced Tarei to nine years, three months and 14 days\u2019 imprisonment.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
*Not the victim\u2019s real name.<\/p>\n
Hannah\u00a0Bartlett\u00a0is a Tauranga-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She previously covered court and local government for the Nelson Mail, and before that was a radio reporter at Newstalk ZB.<\/p>\n
\n
\nSEXUAL HARM
\n
\nWhere to get help:
\nIf it’s an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
\nIf you’ve ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact\u00a0Safe to Talk<\/a>\u00a0confidentially, any time 24\/7:
\n\u2022 Call 0800 044 334
\n\u2022 Text 4334
\n\u2022 Email [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>
\n\u2022 For more info or to web chat visit\u00a0safetotalk.nz<\/a>
\nAlternatively contact your local police station –\u00a0click here for a list.<\/a>
\nIf you have been sexually assaulted, remember it’s not your fault.
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