Sex-attack victim bails from moving car

A teenaged American tourist, abducted and subjected to a terrifying sexual assault, made a daring escape, jumping from a moving car.

Her assailant, Tairone Rawiri Henry, was jailed for 11 years and nine months in the Hamilton District Court on Friday.

The 27-year-old was found guilty by a jury in September on charges of abduction for sex, unlawful sexual connection, assault with intent to injure and indecent assault.

All stemmed from an incident in the early hours of Friday, November 20, 2015.

The victim, then 18, was socialising in Hamilton with a friend when they encountered Henry outside the Hood Bar on Victoria St about 3am.

She had been in New Zealand just two days.

After chatting, the two young women decided to head to Henry’s home in Hamilton. The following hour – spent drinking, talking and smoking cannabis – passed without incident. Then the women decided it was time to leave and Henry offered to take them home.

He drove them to Hood Street, where he dropped off the other woman.

As Henry drove off, he began pulling his pants down and told his victim he would only drop her off after ‘‘you suck my d***’’.

They drove to an area she did not recognise, understood to be near Lake Rotoroa. Henry’s victim refused to accede to his wishes and attempted to phone the police.

However, she mistakenly dialled 000, thinking it was the emergency services number in New Zealand.

Enraged, Henry snatched the phone from her. A struggle ensued, but he overpowered her.

With little choice, she agreed to perform oral sex on him, but only if the car was not moving.

As she was giving him oral sex, Henry put his hands on her thighs and then into her underwear. She stopped what she was doing and removed his hands.

This only angered him further. She pleaded with him and tried to placate him sexually, but he drove off in an erratic manner, which alarmed the already terrified teenager.

He grabbed her hair and forced her head into his lap, ripping chunks of her hair out. He also grabbed her by her throat. She struggled to breathe and thought she was going to pass out.

As she struggled with him, Henry’s car left the road at the intersection of Greenwood Street and Kahikatea Drive and hit some bollards.

Regardless, he drove on into a car park area, where he rammed a gate.

Still, he drove on.

Henry turned the car into Tawa St and the young woman suddenly pulled the handbrake and grabbed the steering wheel, causing the car to slam into a brick wall.

As this happened, she opened the passenger door and rolled out on to the grass verge.

The young woman fled to a house and asked a person inside to call the police.

Henry was still inside his car when the police arrived. A test found he had 750 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath – three times the legal driving limit.

Henry told police the sexual activity was consensual, and it was, in fact, the woman who was the guilty party because she was cheating on her boyfriend.

Crown prosecutor Rebecca Mann sought a starting point of around 13 years in prison, while defence counsel Gerard Walsh said an eight-year start was more appropriate.

Judge Kim Saunders opted for a 12-year start point, adding three months for Henry’s eight previous convictions, four of which were for violence offences.

She subtracted three months for the time spent on bail on strict conditions, and then a further three on the basis of totality.

‘‘Your referees describe you as decent, hard-working, a role model,’’ Saunders said.

‘‘The man they describe is a million miles away from the man [the victim] says she confronted.’’