\u201cYears later, I felt better about saying out loud what happened,\u201d she told Capill directly.<\/p>\n
Still, he couldn\u2019t look up.<\/p>\n
A jury found Capill guilty this year on all charges, having subjected the women to the rigours of a trial that exposed their deepest vulnerabilities and most private experiences to a courtroom of strangers.<\/p>\n
They chose to be called survivors rather than victims.<\/p>\n
Judge Tony Snell addressed each directly before sentencing Capill for the offending he called the \u201cabsolute scourge in our community\u201d.<\/p>\n
He commended them for their courage and tenacity in giving evidence at trial, after which Capill accepted responsibility for what had occurred.<\/p>\n
It did not gain him any points in the sentencing equation, as Judge Snell wasn\u2019t convinced his remorse was genuine.<\/p>\n
He said while the women, who were young girls at the time of the offending, had spent many years feeling unheard, they had been listened to now.<\/p>\n
\u201cA jury of members of the Nelson community<\/a> heard you at trial. They believed you. They listened to you and accepted what you said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have been heard today. I heard you and there will be a reckoning and consequences today for the years of profound hardship you have been put through,\u201d an emotional Judge Snell said.<\/p>\n Capill, 54, was sentenced on the lead charge of rape, plus a charge of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection<\/a>, a representative charge of indecently assaulting a young person aged under 16, another representative charge of indecently assaulting a girl aged under 12, doing an indecent act on a girl under 16, and another under 12 and doing an indecent act with the intent to offend.<\/p>\n The offending, described as premeditated and opportunistic, spanned more than a decade and involved grooming and \u201csignificant manipulation\u201d.<\/p>\n \u2018Extended, repeated abuse\u2019<\/p>\n The Crown sought a 16-year prison starting point for what it described as a \u201cvast array of seriously prolonged indecencies\u201d on three young people.<\/p>\n Prosecutor Sophie O\u2019Donoghue said the girls were exposed to the most degrading conduct through the \u201cextended, repeated abuse\u201d made possible through Capill\u2019s ability to prevent the offending from coming to light.<\/p>\n \u201cAll three have suffered profound harm.\u201d<\/p>\n Defence counsel Michael Vesty said Capill had put the victims through an unnecessary trial, in which the veracity of their stories was challenged.<\/p>\n One said it was impossible to put into words how it felt to be questioned, challenged and accused of lying.<\/p>\n Vesty said Capill had not allowed them to heal from the abuse.<\/p>\n \u201cCapill must have known they were telling the truth.<\/p>\n \u201cIn addition to that he has brought back issues the victims may have otherwise chosen not to,\u201d Vesty said.<\/p>\n He agreed the timing of Capill\u2019s admissions called into question any genuine remorse, but on the positive side, he had opened the door to rehabilitation.<\/p>\n \u201cMany sit in prison refusing to accept the verdicts of juries,\u201d Vesty said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has faced up to what he did. There are green shoots of responsibility being taken.\u201d<\/p>\n Judge Snell said the scale and frequency of offending over \u201cyears and years and years\u201d was one of several aggravating features.<\/p>\n He hoped that in time, Capill could reflect on the harm caused to the victims and those surrounding them.<\/p>\n In sentencing him to 14 years and four months in prison, Judge Snell said a minimum 50% non-parole period was warranted, meaning it would be at least seven years and two months before he was allowed to apply for parole.<\/p>\n Capill was automatically registered as a child sex offender.<\/p>\n Police acknowledge victims\u2019 bravery<\/p>\nNelson man Barry Capill during sentencing on multiple charges of child sex offending, including rape. He refused to look up as the victims spoke. Photo \/ Tracy Neal<\/p>\n