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The Dominion Post A lifetime of comfortable wealth
came to an abrupt halt for a member of Christchurch's high-society Stewart
family when he was jailed for historic sex offences. Peter Stewart, the son of
electrical goods tycoon Sir Robertson Stewart and husband of Fashion Week
owner Pieter Stewart, was jailed for 3 1/2 years when he appeared in the High
Court in Christchurch yesterday. After being told by Justice Graham
Panckhurst that his offending had caused "huge emotional harm", a
grim-faced but composed Stewart, 62, began his new life, starting with a ride
in a prison van to Paparua Prison in Templeton. Former inmates say Stewart, who
has spent his life farming in Canterbury, driving sports cars and sailing a
luxury charter yacht, is in for the shock of his life. "He will do it hard,"
said one. "He won't be able to pick up the phone and write out a cheque.
It will be the mindless day-to-day routine that will do him in, and the crap
he has to listen to from other inmates." On arriving at prison yesterday,
Stewart had to swap the smart, dark suit and tie he wore in court for a
standard-issue, blue tracksuit. He was given a health check. Dinner last night was savoury
mince with potatoes, two vegetables, two slices of bread and butter and one
piece of fruit. Stewart was able to wash it down with tea or water.
Corrections budgets $4 a day for an inmate's food. New inmates such as Stewart are
housed in an assessment unit till a security classification is completed. As an older, first-time inmate who
denies guilt, he could be regarded as a suicide risk and will probably be
placed in an "at-risk" cell for up to two weeks. He can ask to be
segregated. All he is allowed to take to
prison is reading and writing material, a television, a radio and some
toiletries. Stewart will probably eventually
be sent to Rolleston Prison, near Christchurch, where he will be housed in a
unit for 60 to 80 inmates. The Stewart family said after the
sentencing that they fully believed in his innocence and would appeal against
the convictions. The complainant, who was in court
yesterday, also issued a statement in which she said she had lived with
"her own hell for most of her life". The offences occurred when she
was aged between eight and 14. Now 48, she broke into tears when
the judge began his remarks on the rape and sodomy convictions against
Stewart. The case had clearly had a
profound impact not only on the complainant but also her wider family and the
Stewart family, Judge Panckhurst said. "This was painfully evident to me
throughout the trial. Family are split as a result of these events. "What occurred in this trial
confirmed again that sexual abuse, even after a period of 30 years, can wreak
havoc for those involved and those close to them." The offending was aggravated by
its range and duration, the age and vulnerability of the complainant, the
gross breach of trust and the severe impacts on the complainant, Judge
Panckhurst said. Stewart was, however, entitled to
a significant credit as a first offender and his otherwise good character.The
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