The judge said, “He’s not a bad person, he made bad decisions.”
But the victims didn’t have a choice.
He was guilty of 15 Child Sexual Exploitation offences.
The victims were innocent.
The judge said he couldn’t be jailed for any offending before he was 18.
But the victims have been living as victims since they were 12.
The judge said, “There is a lot of good in you, a lot of potential.”
But the victims’ lives have been shattered forever.
The judge said, “You do not need to be defined by what you did aged 15-18.”
But the victims’ lives are forever defined by his actions during those years.
He was given a 60-month discount for his age and potential rehabilitation.
The victims received a lifetime of trauma.
A serial child predator, guilty of stealing childhoods and destroying futures, gets four years in prison.
One year for every child he exploited.
And he’s not even placed on the Child Sex Offenders Register.
This is not justice. This is not good enough, New Zealand.
Children are being abused while offenders walk away with light sentences.
It’s time for change. It’s time to protect our children.