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Seasonal worker jailed after admitting raping girl at train station
A seasonal worker who dragged an 11-year-old girl into the toilets of the Blenheim train station to rape her has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
Steven Tari Tambean Garae, 24, earlier pleaded guilty to rape and unlawful sexual connection after the attack on the schoolgirl last April. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment.
Garae, who is from Vanuatu, was on a Recognised Seasonal Employer limited visa at the time.
In the Blenheim District Court, Judge Tony Zohrab said it was a random attack, a brutal violation of an 11-year-old girl on a toilet floor.
“You sacrificed her present and future wellbeing to satisfy your selfish sexual desires and your selfish behaviour has led to a catastrophic impact on the victim and her family.”
The court heard how the victim had been riding a bike with her friend who was on a scooter, one Sunday morning in April 2023, when Garae began following them.
Steven Garae, 24, was sentenced to seven years in prison, when he appeared in the Blenheim District Court for the rape and sexual violation of a school girl. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
Garae started a conversation with the victim and when they were close to the train station in Sinclair Street, he dragged her by the wrist into a public toilet, locked the door, then sexually violated and raped her.
The girl’s friend ran across State Highway 1 to get help from people in a bakery close by.
The attack lasted seven minutes after which Garae ran off. He was later found by police and arrested. He initially claimed the sex was consensual, before admitting he had raped the girl.
Judge Zohrab said in a victim impact statement, the girl said she was now treated differently, that people were more protective of her while some friends had distanced themselves and others teased her and called her names.
“She said she feels sad almost all the time and feels like it is getting worse, not better.
“She says she used to like herself but she doesn’t like herself much anymore and she feels what happened sometimes was her fault.”
Innocence taken away – grandmother
Her grandmother told the court that Garae had given the victim a lifetime sentence.
“He has taken the innocence away from our granddaughter and now we find it hard to trust people and to trust that this will not occur again.
“She cannot understand why she cannot go out on her own like other children her age.”
For some time after the assault she had lost her appetite and could not eat, she was taking medication to sleep at night and was seeing a child psychiatrist but there were ongoing concerns for her mental health.
The girl had to fly to Auckland for a sexual assault forensic exam, including pregnancy and STI tests, where it was revealed she suffered internal injuries as a result of the rape.
Her grandmother said she felt “sick to the stomach that a person could think they could do such sexual acts on an 11-year-old child” and think it would be consensual.
Outside court, family members expressed their disappointment with the prison sentence, which came with a minimum period of imprisonment of three and a half years, which they said was not long enough.
rnz
The chief executive of the Parliamentary Service is confident there will be enough room to accommodate the increased number of MPs and their staff coming into Parliament.
On current numbers, up to 131 MPs could be sitting in the Chamber following the election, brought on by a record overhang result.
Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson told the Spinoff that currently the debating chamber had enough chairs to seat 124 MPs – including the Speaker of the House – and work was being done to accommodate more by altering the seating arrangement.
In a statement, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said planning for a larger Parliament had been going for “some time”.
“Now that the election results have confirmed an increase to the number of members we are looking at several options.
“We are confident we will be able to accommodate all members within the Chamber.”
VNP / Phil Smith
Gonzalez-Montero said office accommodation for members and their staff would be “stretched” for a short time, but the new Members’ Building was only a few months away from “practical completion”.
That building – located behind Parliament – was due to be ready to occupy in April next year and had capacity to accommodate around 30 backbench MPs.
“All members should be in fit-for-purpose accommodation from that point,” Gonzalez-Montero said.
Following the 2023 election, 123 MPs sat in the Chamber – a record number at the time. That decreased to 122 following the resignation of National MP Judith Collins.
Collins held the seat of Papakura and stepped down in May and Parliament voted against holding a by-election because it was too close to the election.
The election result also meant high-ranking National Party MPs like Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis and Gerry Brownlee – Speaker of the House and an MP for 30 years – would likely not make it back into Parliament.
Only resigning or retiring MPs were permitted to give a valedictory speech meaning none of them would get the chance to give a valedictory statement.
Asked if their would be special allowances for valedictories, Wilson said in a statement that normally only MPs were allowed to speak in the House but the House could suspend its own rules or temporarily alter them.
“It could do so to allow former members to address the House.”
Wilson said no such arrangements could be made until the next Parliament opened and members sworn in.
rnz
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