Parole for dance teacher
A former Picton dance teacher convicted of sex offences against a student has been granted parole, having finished rehabilitation.
Stayz Te Atamira Raukawa, 45, will be released from Rolleston Prison in March, two years after he was sentenced in Blenheim.
Raukawa admitted eight charges of indecent assault, and four charges of sexual connection with a minor, relating to offending in 2005.
He was 33-years-old and working as a dance teacher in the North Island. His victim, Rebecca Sloan, was 15-years-old.
Raukawa became eligible for parole in January last year, but he had not completed sex offender treatment and was declined parole three times. He finished a Short Treatment Programme in December.
A parole board decision released this week said Raukawa had ‘‘addressed his sexual offencerelated needs’’ and had developed a ‘‘safety plan that will assist him when he is confronted with highrisk situations’’.
Sloan said on Wednesday she was glad the parole board decided to wait until he finished the treatment before releasing him.
‘‘I fought for him to sit the course before he was released, because it was vital he acknowledged his issues and made steps towards addressing them. To stop him reoffending has always been a driver for me and this lay firmly with him completing this course.
‘‘You just have to trust that [the course] will help in some way.’’
The parole board said Raukawa was assessed as having a low likelihood of reoffending.
‘‘He accepts responsibility for grooming the victim by offering her leadership opportunities and increasing contact with her outside the classes. He fully disclosed his offending, as well as disclosing other offences that were not known at the time,’’ the decision said.
He also completed alcohol and drug programmes.
‘‘The release plan highlights the support of ... his wider extended wha¯nau. That support is strong. The wha¯nau understand that they will hold him accountable to adhere to his safety plan as well as support him to reintegrate back into the community.’’
The parole board would not say where Raukawa planned to live after his release, but said he was banned from entering two North Island cities.
Raukawa’s conditions included counselling as directed by probation, a curfew for the first three months, and not to contact people aged under 16 without a supervised adult present approved by probation.
He was also to inform probation if he started a new intimate relationship, or got a new job. Those conditions would be in place until June next year.
Sloan fought to have her automatic name suppression lifted so that Raukawa could be named. She wanted to make sure he did not reoffend, she said at the time.
Grooming was ‘‘a dangerous manipulation tactic’’, she said.
‘‘It’s so important to listen and trust your gut at all times. You can always call your local police station and voice any suspicious behaviour you encounter, no matter how small. These add up and can paint a very vivid picture - this was the case for my offender. Kiwis are guilty of not wanting to get anyone in trouble, but trust me when I say the alternative is so much worse.’’
Sloan planned to use what she had learnt to help others, she said.
‘‘This hasn’t been an easy road by any means, and I’m looking forward to moving forward with my life, equipped with some major life lessons in tow.’’