Coach jailed 22 years for child abuse
AUCKLAND: An Auckland rugby coach found guilty of 95 charges of sexually abusing young boys has been sentenced to 22 years’ jail.
Justice Simon Moore sentenced Alosio Taimo (56) to the term with a minimum imprisonment period of 10 years.
Yesterday in the High Court at Auckland, Crown prosecutor Jasper Rhodes argued for Taimo to be sentenced to preventive detention due to the seriousness of the case and his denial of offending.
‘‘We cannot say that his risk will be reduced at any point in the future.’’
There is a ‘‘collective undercurrent’’ that the 17 people he offended against were survivors who refused to be ruined by the offending, Rhodes said.
These were strong, proud, clever and successful men who would overcome their ordeals in spite of Taimo, not because of him, he said.
Taimo’s defence lawyer Panama Le’au’anae argued for a finite sentence, saying the parole board would act as gatekeeper with its restrictions.
Justice Moore said his crimes were ‘‘unprecedented in this country’’.
‘‘The sheer scale is extraordinary,’’ he said.
Justice Moore said he had heard from parents who felt as if they had failed their children, but they had done nothing wrong and did not deserve to feel that way.
It was no hyperbole to say it was offending that had devastated the lives of 17 boys and young men, he said.
‘‘These are victims who are not broken. These are proud, strong and successful people.’’
When considering the sentence, Justice Moore used a starting point of 23 years’ imprisonment.
Taimo could not claim previous good conduct, he said.
‘‘You continued to offend right up until you were arrested.
‘‘At least you have made a start on what will be a long road to rehabilitation,’’ Justice Moore said.
In the future he would be registered on the child sex offender list, he said.
Justice Moore said he expected Taimo would be ‘‘totally and permanently ostracised’’.
At the very least Taimo would never be trusted around children again, he said.
Initially, there were nine complainants and 53 charges against Taimo, who came to New Zealand from Samoa in 1987 and initially moved in with his sister in the suburb of Otara.
After media published Taimo’s name, more complainants came forward.
The allegations grew to 83 charges and 18 complainants.
The list of charges grew further during the trial to 106, while the Crown also revealed a graphic photograph found on Taimo’s phone showing him engaged in a sexual act with a young man. — NZME