Man who raped child is sent to prison

A convicted rapist has been jailed for carrying out the crime on a young girl.

Pourau Sir Charles Albert previously pleaded guilty to raping the victim on two occasions between 2009 and 2010, when she was aged between 8-10 years of age.

It was revealed during the

59-year-old’s sentencing in the Ha¯wera District Court on Wednesday that he had been convicted of raping a woman in

1998 and also jailed in 2013 for indecent assault.

The victim of the indecent assault was the same girl he raped; however she did not disclose the more serious abuse until later on.

Judge Chris Sygrove said the first attack took place in 2009, when the girl was eight.

She had been lying in bed watching a DVD. After getting the child a hot chocolate, Albert lay down next to her and started to touch her, the judge said. Albert then removed the child’s pants and raped her.

In 2010, when the victim was 10, Albert walked into the girl’s room and ordered her to lie on top of a nearby desk, where she was sexually assaulted.

‘‘You held her down to prevent her from moving,’’ the judge said.

Judge Sygrove said Albert had expressed to the probation officer how had he had changed his ways after finding religion behind bars and also acknowledged the pain and suffering of the victim.

During the court hearing, Albert stood quietly in the dock clasping a small bible in his hands.

Prosecutor Stephanie Simpkin said the aggravating factors included the harm caused to the victim and her young age at the time of the sexual abuse. She said Albert’s previous sex offending history also needed to be taken into account.

A starting point of 13 years’ jail was sought by Simpkin, who also asked for a minimum period of imprisonment of 50 per cent be imposed.

Defence counsel Rajan Rai said when the defendant was confronted with the allegations, he admitted them immediately.

He said Albert had been psychologically assessed prior to his sentencing and the report outlined how the man had been sexually, physically and verbally abused by members of his family as he grew up and rarely went to school.

After dropping out of education at 13, Albert joined a gang and fell into drug and alcohol use.

He eventually moved to Taranaki, from Auckland, for a fresh start, Rai said.

In considering the case yesterday, Judge Sygrove said the only thing Albert deserved credit for was his early guilty pleas.

Albert was jailed for eight and a half years, and will have to serve a minimum of four years, before becoming eligible for parole.

At the time of his release from prison for the indecent assaults, Albert was placed onto a 10-year extended supervision order, which is monitored by Corrections. It was due to run until 2026.