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Otago Daily Times
CHRISTCHURCH: Prominent Canterbury
businessman Peter Maxwell Stewart has gone to jail for three and a-half years
still asserting his innocence for historic sexual abuse convictions and has
immediately signalled an appeal. The Christchurch High Court was
full of family, friends and business associates as 62-year-old Stewart — son
of PDL founder Sir Robertson Stewart — was sentenced by Justice Graham
Panckhurst. The victim and her family were
also there to see the sentencing, two months after the end of the trial in
which the woman gave evidence of abuse by Stewart when she was aged 8 to 14. The offending was from 1968 to
1974, when Stewart was in his 20s. Defence counsel Jonathan Eaton sought a
reduced sentence for Stewart’s blameless life since then, and the public
vilification that had taken place since his conviction on five charges of
indecency, one of rape, and one of sodomy. The jury had returned not guilty
verdicts on four rape charges and could not agree on one other rape count. Outside court, Mr Eaton told media
Stewart was grateful for the continued support of family and friends. He said
an appeal would immediately be filed and he would, therefore, make no further
comment. A statement from the family of the
victim, a woman now in her 40s, said Stewart’s conviction brought some
closure for her and those close to her. ‘‘Over the past three years, this
horrible situation has devastated, disintegrated and destroyed families and
extended families. It has stretched or ruined long-term friendships. This is
minor to the fact that the victim has lived with her own hell for most of her
life,’’ the statement said, asking for privacy for the woman. Mr Eaton told the court Stewart
still ‘‘adamantly maintains his innocence’’. His good character came through
compellingly and overwhelmingly in more than 50 unsolicited references
submitted to the court. ‘‘They speak of a man who is
generous, loyal, kind, considerate, and who has made a considerable
contribution to his farming community in Hororata.’’ He expected Stewart’s age and
status in the community would cause difficulties in prison. ‘‘This is undoubtedly a case where
the fact of imprisonment rather than the term of imprisonment is what is
going to have the significant impact.’’ Justice Panckhurst said that
although the convictions were not on representative charges, he regarded them
as ‘‘a course of conduct’’. Crown prosecutor Phil Shamy said
‘‘This was a course of conduct which involved grooming, game playing, and
leading to violation.’’ The offending had been against a
young girl who was a vulnerable victim. Justice Panckhurst said Stewart
was ‘‘entitled to significant credit on account of the fact that you are
before the court aged 62 as a first offender’’. He noted references describing
Stewart as ‘‘generous, trustworthy moral, sociable, and gentlemanly’’. ‘‘How is one to regard the crimes
that you committed as a young man? I can only see them as a stand-alone aber
rant period in an otherwise good life.’ He was satisfied there was no need
for personal deterrence. No reparation payment had been
sought by the victim, nor offered by Stewart. He noted there could be no
expression of remorse because Stew art continued to assert his innocence
despite the evidence at the trial. He had admitted having consensual sex with
the woman once, when she was aged 17. After the sentencing, the Stewart
family issued a statement ‘‘to make public their united and absolute sup port
for Peter Stewart’’. ‘‘The family, including Peter’s wife Pieter and their children, fully believe in his innocence and are committed to fighting for that outcome. Preparations for an appeal are already under way,’ the statement reads |
