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Allegations of Sexual
Abuse |
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The victim of a pack
rape in Mount Maunganui 16 years ago has spoken in court today about the
impact the crime has had on her life. She was speaking of the
four men who raped and abducted her, during their sentencing at the High
Court in Wellington. The woman, who now
lives in Australia, says she is continuing to grieve for a normal life that
she has not been able to live. The 36-year-old says
she has had several health problems brought on by the rape, including stress
and chronic back pain. During the trial
process, she says she found it hurtful and distressing that the public formed
an opinion about her without personally knowing her. The sentencing judge
described the rape as deeply disgraceful. The 53 and 47-year-old
convicted rapists, whose names remain suppressed, have been sentenced at the High
Court in Wellington to eight, and eight-and-a-half years jail respectively. Mount Maunganui
businessman Peter McNamara will serve seven years, while Tauranga fireman
Warren Hales has been jailed for five-and-a-half years. Justice Ron Young told
the men they raped a defenceless woman and treated her like a piece of meat. |
