Child rapist jailed for 141⁄2 years Man jailed for fire near hospital ward

A former Oamaru man has been jailed for raping his step-daughter multiple times over a five-year period.

Judge Joanna Maze said the 42-year-old man, who was granted permanent name suppression, had shown ‘‘no remorse or empathy’’ by continuing to deny the offending – despite a jury finding him guilty of four counts of rape, six of unlawful sexual connection, and doing an indecent act.

He was sentenced to 14 ⁄ years imprisonment and issued a first strike under the three-strikes law when he appeared before Judge Maze in the Timaru District Court yesterday.

The victim was aged 9 to 13 when she was sexually abused in three North Otago locations between December 25, 2010, and August 2, 2015.

Judge Maze said the abuse could be rough and involve humiliation. It was ‘‘opportunistic at times’’ and took place while the victim’s mother was away at work or, on one occasion, in hospital.

‘‘You promised to treat her mother better if she did not tell and made threats of harm if she spoke of this.’’

The victim impact statement was not read to the court but

Judge Maze said while it made for ‘‘distressing reading’’, the girl was showing ‘‘positivity’’ and signs of recovery.

‘‘It is to the victim’s credit she is dealing with the impact of this.

‘‘The impact of repeated sexual offending against a helpless young person will be lifelong.

‘‘How she will accept what has happened and not let it be a barrier, will be a matter she will have to contend with.’’

Judge Maze said the ‘‘piecemeal way’’ the victim disclosed the offending, not revealing the full extent of the abuse until her fourth interview with police, reflected its ‘‘extensive harm’’ to the girl.

Crown prosecutor Andrew McRae said the aggravating factors of the offending were its repetition, the breach of trust, the victim’s vulnerability, and the harm caused.

Judge Maze said the defendant had 52 previous convictions, 18 for violence.

A jury previously found the defendant guilty of indecent assault against the same victim.

‘‘That was the triggering event which led to this disclosure.’’

The defendant had expressed interest in attending counselling, the judge said.

‘‘It does indicate a possibility of some movement in attitude, but outright denials [to the offending] are a barrier to your acceptance into a programme.’’

An Oamaru man has been jailed for recidivist offending which ended when he was taken into custody for setting fire to greenery near Timaru Hospital’s secure inpatient mental health ward.

Jamie Richard Poole, 23, was yesterday sentenced to two years’ imprisonment when he appeared before Judge Joanna Maze in the Timaru District Court.

He had pleaded guilty to arson, theft, possession of an offensive weapon, and possession of a knife in a public place.

Poole got into a large patch of trees and shrubbery near the Kensington Centre and set it alight about 1.10am on May 19, 2019.

Alerted by Poole’s movements, a resident of the secure unit activated an assistance alarm and an attending nurse spotted the defendant.

The patients endangered by the fire were ‘‘in a mixture of states including cognitive impairment and immobility’’, Crown prosecutor Andrew McRae said in a summary of facts.

A police dog unit located Poole nearby, where he had been watching the fire. He was taken into custody.

His string of offending kicked off about a year earlier when he stole a laptop, wallet, and $350 cash from the boyfriend of a woman living in the same Christchurch boarding house he was at.

Poole admitted the theft and returned the laptop and wallet. However, he had already spent the cash so they agreed he would pay it back over time.

The repayments eventually dried up. When the victim confronted Poole about the money still owing on August 29, 2018, the defendant grabbed a 15-centimetre knife and yelled for him to leave.

‘‘The complainant, fearing for his safety, ran from the address.’’

Poole was again found in possession of a knife while travelling to a community work assignment in a Corrections Department van in Oamaru last April.

Judge Maze said Poole’s offending stemmed from alcohol and substance abuse as a result of his violent upbringing, and the fact he suffered from a hereditary disease.

‘‘The information have indicates that your usual response to being held to account is denial. It is a sign that you’re maturing, that you’re willing to accept your position,’’ the judge said.

‘‘You said you were keen to attend treatment and it is clear you would benefit from that. Urgency needs to be given to setting that up so upon your release, you are able to do something positive.

‘‘The risk of harm to others is likely to increase if you remain in the situation you are in.’’

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