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Allegations of Sexual
Abuse |
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Two men jailed for a
pack rape 16 years ago wept yesterday as their wives told the High Court they
were loving fathers and husbands. Four men were sent to
prison for between 5 1/2 and 8 1/2 years for the rape of a 20-year-old woman
at Mt Maunganui in 1989. Justice Ronald Young
told the High Court at Wellington that the men had taken part in "deeply
disgraceful acts" and three had planned what was a gang rape in the
worst sense. "She was ...
treated by you as a piece of meat," he told the men during sentencing. Only two of the men can
be named. They are Peter Mana
McNamara, 46, and Warren Graham Hales, 40. Justice Young continued
the extensive suppression orders involving the other men and details of the
case. In jailing all four, he
took into account that the attack was pre-meditated and that four of the five
men involved - one has never been identified - watched as the others raped
the woman. He said mitigating
factors included that the men had no other convictions, and that all had many
references testifying to their good character before and since the rape. Justice Young said he
accepted that Hales had not helped to plan the attack. However, he knew it
was wrong yet lacked the strength of character to intervene. Justice Young said one
of the men had intimidated the woman into not complaining, and two of the men
believed they would get away with the crime. "And you almost
did. Your arrogance, in my view, knew no bounds." The victim, who also
cannot be named, read her victim impact statement to the court, her voice
cracking twice as she described her distress at having suffered for 16 years.
She said she had never
been able to return to Mt Maunganui, and although now married, had
experienced difficulty in both work dealings and personal relationships with
men. She went from being
confident and self-assured to a shell of her former self - ill, lonely and
isolated, without work or money for years. She complained to
police about the rape last year. A jury found the four
men guilty last month, rejecting their claim that the woman participated in
consensual group sex. The partners or wives
of all four read statements to the court. Both the men who have
name suppression cried as their wives described the impact of the case on
their children and families. The man jailed for the
longest term was described by his wife as being a fine human being. He mouthed "I love
you" as she returned to the public gallery. He placed a hand on the
back of one of the other men who wept as his wife described how much his
children loved and missed him. The men were sentenced
according to laws that existed in 1989, under which the maximum jail term for
rape was 14 years. The maximum term is now
20 years. IN THE WORDS OF THE WOMEN THE VICTIM The woman gang-raped by
five men when she was 20 said she was grieving for the normal life she had
never been able to live. She said the nightmare
of her ordeal occupied her mind during her waking and sleeping hours. "I felt I was used
goods, sullied. "I have lived
without an identity." PARTNER 1 Joanne Percy, partner
of Peter McNamara for 14 years, said their son, 2 1/2, missed kicking a ball with
his father. She was thankful her
son was too young to understand what was happening. She said she would
support the man whose commitment to others in the community had at times been
to the detriment of his own family. "Peter will always
be the love of my life." WIFE 1 Wife of one man, aged
47, with name suppression, jailed for 8 1/2 years on two counts of rape,
three years for unlawful sexual connection and three years for abduction. She spoke of their many
years together and of their daughter. "She is the light
of [his] life and she adores him." The woman spoke of her
husband's soft and gentle manner, that he had given his all in his job, and
had been honoured for his work. "What I can state
clearly is I have lived with and loved this man for much of my life. "He is a fine
human being. "It has been a
privilege for me to be [his] wife and partner." PARTNER 2 Jennifer Butler,
partner of Warren Hales, jailed for 5 1/2 years for rape, three years for
abduction. In their 13 years
together she had realised how close he was to his family. "Not once in all
this time has he shown any violence to me or anyone else. "He is a kind,
compassionate man." She asked Justice Young
to impose as light a sentence as possible on someone who had led an exemplary
life before and since the events of 1989. WIFE 2 Wife of a second man,
aged 53, with name suppression, jailed for eight years for rape, four years
for unlawful sexual connection and three years for abduction. The man's second wife
spoke of their 10 years together and his close relationship with his children
from their marriage and an earlier relationship. She said she loved him for
his kindness, dedication, patience and support. He helped at his son's
rugby practice, and teased his daughter - who teased him back. "They know they
are loved by him and miss him terribly. "I know [he] has
always had the utmost respect for me as a woman and an individual." |
