Victim’s family tells court their world ‘shaken to its core’
Jaden Stroobant, who viciously beat a pensioner then sexually violated her as she lay dying, has been jailed indefinitely.
Cun Xiu Tian, 69, was beaten to death in her Te Atatu Peninsula home in January 2016.
Stroobant, 21, was sentenced at the High Court in Auckland yesterday after pleading guilty to murder and sexual violation.
For the charge of murder Stroobant was sentenced to life with a minimum non parole period of 17 years, and for the charges of sexual violation a sentence of preventive detention with a minimum period of 10 years.
When he attacked Tian he was 19 and had been released from prison five weeks earlier and was on special release conditions after being imprisoned for burglary. His adult criminal history included four jail terms for petty crimes such as driving offences, burglary and receiving stolen goods.
Defence lawyer Emma Priest said the murder and sexual violation was a huge, unexpected and uncharacteristic escalation in behaviour.
His previous most serious offending was burglary, and she told Justice Graham Lang that the offending in this case was a ‘‘burglary gone wrong’’.
Crown prosecutor David Johnstone acknowledged Stroobant’s disadvantaged upbringing and adolescence but said there had been multiple attempts to intervene in his life.
‘‘My submission here is that Mr Stroobant’s behaviour displayed from a very young age, around 12, has given rise to attempts to intervene in relation to his behaviour,’’ Johnstone said. ‘‘He’s attended special schools, he’s had 100 hours of psychiatric support, notwithstanding that, his education efforts ceased when he was expelled on a series of occasions for punching teachers. He then embarked on a career of burglary.’’
He asked that Stroobant be granted only a small discount for his guilty plea, saying the plea had come only days before trial and only when the evidence against him became heavily stacked.
‘‘It’s quite apparent his guilty plea was borne of anything but a realisation of a need to take responsibility for his offending but instead, as he said, ‘to get it over and done with’.
‘‘He said he couldn’t have stuck out a six to eight-week trial. The thrust of Mr Stroobant’s position appears to be the trial would have been too hard on him rather than too hard on those victims associated with his offence.’’
Stroobant was assessed as having a high risk of further violent and sexual offences and the Crown sought a sentence of preventive detention – an indeterminate sentence reserved for only the most serious offences.
This was opposed by the defence, but Priest conceded a life term was inevitable and a minimum non-parole period of 17 years appropriate.
Outside court Detective Senior Sergeant Roger Small noted the sentence and paid tribute to Tian’s family.
Senior and experienced members of the police had been shocked and saddened by the crime, he said.
He wouldn’t comment on Stroobant who he said didn’t warrant a thought.
On behalf of Tian’s family Detective Sarah Cato read a statement in which Tian’s family thanked the community for their support.
The family told the court their perfect lives had been marred by the death of their mother and mother-in-law.
In a victim impact statement Tian’s son-in-law Jianzhong Wang, also known as Jerry, said the murder had caused him a lifetime of fear, insomnia and panic attacks.
He described their lives as happy, and perfect, before Tian’s death.
‘‘My whole world has been significantly altered . . . and shaken to its core. The hurt may never be healed. My life has been changed forever, not for the better but for the worse.’’
He said their family had been forced to move, that he couldn’t concentrate at work, and having previously disliked animals they had bought a german shep- herd dog to protect themselves.
‘‘I suddenly feel security is the top priority in my life. I certainly care about my wife’s personal safety, I try to be with her at all possible times. ‘‘
Tian’s daughter, Yun Wei, who discovered her mother’s body, said the loss of her mum was ‘‘beyond words’’.
‘‘It was obvious to me that mum suffered a violent death. I cannot imagine the pain mum suffered,’’ she said.
Tian and her family shared a fenceline with Stroobant, who entered the property while Tian was gardening.
He grabbed and dragged her inside before assaulting her, according to a summary of facts.
Tian was beaten to the ground, struck on the head and had her face and head stomped on, causing fatal head injuries and broken ribs.
While she was unconscious and dying Stroobant sexually violated her.
The details of that assault cannot be reported for legal reasons.
After the assault Stroobant attempted to clean the place, before rifling through the house and stealing Chinese money, an iPad, and a gold watch.
Police launched a homicide investigation immediately and Stroobant was arrested a week later.