Sex abuser jailed for nine years

A sexual predator who profiled, groomed and abused troubled young boys after plying them with drugs and alcohol at ‘gatherings’ he hosted at his home has been sentenced to nine years imprisonment.

At the time of the offending in 2002, Sean Smale was 31, his two victims 13.

Smale was sentenced at Rotorua District Court yesterday after being convicted in December of five charges, one representative, including sexual violation and indecent assault.

During the course of a three-day trial the events in Smale’s home over the course of almost a year came tumbling into the light, the catalyst being one of his victims who attempted to free himself from a methamphetamine addiction.

That victim – who cannot be named for legal reasons – was told by a drug counsellor he needed to deal with the underlying issues in his life, a process that prompted reflection on the events at Smale’s house, and a shattering realisation.

‘‘He profiles kids, he profiled me,’’ he said.

‘‘As I’ve gotten older I’ve realised he’s just a groomer and he groomed me to the point where I just freeze.’’

The trial jury were told Smale would host ‘gatherings’ where groups of boys were given drugs and alcohol.

Remarkably, his principle victim also lived with Smale for some of the year with his parents’ consent.

The jury also heard from Smale himself, both in the form of a DVD of his police interview, and when he took the witness stand.

Asked repeatedly by both Crown prosecutor Andrew Hill, and his own defence lawyer Herman Roose, why a 31-year-old man would host parties for young boys, he was unable to offer an answer.

‘‘I have no idea,’’ he told Hill.

‘‘I really can’t comment on my thinking 15 years ago,’’ was his response to Roose.

The closest Smale came to an answer was in his initial police interview. ‘‘They were good company,’’ he said. He also claimed the ‘gatherings’, and bed sharing with the victims, ‘‘wasn’t weird or unusual’’.

That same victim appeared at Smale’s sentencing via Audio Visual Link – he is currently in prison on drug related charges – and his victim impact statement was read to the court by Crown prosecutor Duncan McWilliam.

‘‘My innocence as a child was taken away from me.’’

McWilliam also referred to letters sent to the court in support of Smale, describing him in ‘‘glowing terms’’.

‘‘A number of those blame the victim.’’ He also said Smale had failed to take full responsibility for his offending, claiming not to remember it.

Judge Greg Hollister-Jones raised a number of aggravating factors, including the age of the victims and his supply of drugs and alcohol, something he said was designed to ‘‘encourage disinhibited behaviour’’.

He cited one other aggravating factor too, ‘‘the scale of the sexual abuse’’.