More jail time for former caregiver for raping girl

A woman who was raped when she was 14 years old by her caregiver says he is a ‘‘predator’’ and ‘‘an animal’’ who took her youth and her life.

Frank Russell Walmsley, 63, appeared in the High Court in Christchurch yesterday where he was sentenced for raping and indecently assaulting a girl who had been in his care almost 30 years ago.

The offending happened in 1995 in Oamaru. At the time, Walmsley and his wife were approved caregivers for Child, Youth and Family, now known as Oranga Tamariki.

Justice Gerald Nation said the woman was probably the first victim of Walmsley’s sexual offending.

He was sentenced to 22 years’ imprisonment in 2016 after being found guilty of 52 charges of sexual abuse against children, some of whom had been placed in his care. His sentence was later reduced to 19 years’ on appeal.

The offending for which Walmsley was sentenced yesterday came to light in 2018 when police interviewed the victim about her experience in foster care.

During a trial earlier this year, a jury heard the sexual abuse happened in the bathroom of the home and in the victim’s bedroom.

Walmsley told the girl if she told someone about the abuse, she wouldn’t be believed because he was an approved caregiver and she was a child who had been placed in his care due to her ‘‘bad behaviour’’.

The jury found Walmsley guilty of three counts of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, two counts of rape, and five counts of indecent assault on a girl aged between 12 and 16.

In her victim impact statement, the victim described how the abuse had a lifelong impact on her as she ‘‘went off the rails’’ and turned to drinking and other antisocial behaviour in an effort to deal with the trauma. She described feeling hopeless, angry, scared and defenceless.

‘‘The hardest thing of all was not having been believed. Over many years and no matter who I told, I felt I wasn’t believed [and] considered a liar,’’ she said.

‘‘Frank is a predator who disgusts me. He is an animal who took advantage of me. He took my youth and has taken my whole life.’’

The court heard that despite Walmsley’s convictions, he continued to maintain his innocence.

Walmsley’s lawyer, Anselm Williams, said he didn’t think any extra jail time needed to be added to Walmsley’s sentence since the latest convictions didn’t ‘‘add anything to the overall position’’.

Justice Nation disagreed, saying if the latest convictions had been part of Walmsley’s sentencing in 2016, he would have faced a higher starting point for his sentence.

‘‘I consider a marked feature of your offending was your arrogance. You treated a vulnerable and troubled young teenager who was in your care as someone you were entitled to use for repeated acts of sexual gratification, as if you would never have to be accountable for what you were doing,’’ said the judge.

Walmsley was sentenced to 14 years and 11 months’ imprisonment on the latest charges. It will run concurrently with the sentence Walmsley is serving, which effectively means he would be serving a total sentence of 21 years – two years longer than his current sentence.