A man in his 50s has pleaded guilty to 20 charges, including eight charges of sexual violation by rape, a representative charge of rape, and eight charges of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection. He also admitted a representative charge of making objectionable material, a representative charge of doing an indecent act on a young person and one charge of wounding with intent to injure.
The man, who is yet to be named publicly, carried out attacks against his daughter, his step-granddaughter, two of his sisters, and two ex-partners from the 1980s through to the 2020s. He also committed indecent acts on a distant relative.
Court appearance and investigation
As reported by RNZ, the man recently appeared at the High Court in New Zealand and admitted to the charges against him. The publication confirmed that he is from the South Island, which includes major cities Christchurch, Dunedin and Nelson, but did not reveal the exact locations of his offending to avoid the victims being identified.
Police launched an investigation following a report on January 18, 2024. The force confirmed the man was then arrested and charged on May 7 of the same year.
Abuse of ex-partner and daughter
According to court documents, the man became "physically, emotionally and sexually" violent towards an ex-partner who he began dating when she was 17. They had four children together over the course of a relationship which lasted around two decades.
A document states: "During the relationship, which lasted around 20 years, the defendant offered violence towards the victim by hitting, pushing, and kicking her. On one occasion he smacked her in the face over making a coffee."
In one attack, while pregnant with her first child, the man punched her in the eye and kicked her in the stomach, telling her he hoped her baby died. The woman thought she was going to die during one assault when he put his hands around her neck, squeezing so it was difficult for her to breathe.
It is also reported that the man raped her multiple times by the mid 2000s. The victim recalls "feeling controlled" by him, adding that he "didn't like her joking or laughing with anyone of the opposite sex."
The court documents state that the man lived with his daughter in different houses from when she was born until she was around 16. It was heard how she "recalls her father raping her whenever he had the opportunity."
The attacks started when the girl was aged five and lasted until she was 15. After the first attack he told her what happened was "secret between them, and she wasn't allowed to tell her mother".
The documents added that the man started letting his daughter go out drinking between the ages of 13 and 15. It states: "She recalls getting home drunk on several occasions, where he would proceed to rape her while she was intoxicated. [She] described him as thriving off any situation she was intoxicated."
It is also reported that the man raped his step-granddaughter in the early 2020s. The girl was two when her mother began dating the man's son. When the girl was aged between six and eight, he raped her for the first time. He also took multiple photos of her being raped as well as other indecent photos of her.
Abuse of sisters and charges laid
The documents state the man raped two of his sisters. He attacked one of them when she was aged between 13 and 18 during the 1980s, while the other was raped when she was around 11 until she was 17.
The documents say: "The victim recalls the defendant often saying disgusting comments to her including 'old enough to bleed, old enough to butcher'." During one attack, she told him to "f*** off" and that he was a "disgusting creep". He replied that the "other girls still let me do it" before she told him again to "f*** off" and that he was "sick in the head".
Police said: "The defendant was arrested and charged with sexual violation offences related to that report on 7 May 2024. Further investigations uncovered additional victims and resulted in 94 charges laid in total."
