Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook
A Hutt Valley scout master who sexually abused boys over a span of four decades can now be named, after suppression lapsed today.
Graham Frederick Long, now in his 70s, this month lost his bid to appeal his convictions - two charges of indecently assaulting a boy under 16 and 13 charges of committing indecent acts on a child.
The offending involved four boys in his scout troop between the 1980s and 2016 and happened during overnight tramps and camps.
Long was aquitted of two other charges of committing indecent acts and of the most serious charges of rape of one boy.
He was granted interim name suppression throughout the trial, on the basis that naming him publically would have a serious detrimental effect on his wife.
According to the judgment, Judge Peter Hobbs "did not doubt that the loss of her husband's name suppression would likely result in hardship for Mrs Long but he considered the intensity of that hardship was likely to be temporary or, at least, fade over time" and "the public interest and open justice considerations were, in the judge's view, paramount".
The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal against conviction, and set the name suppression to lift 10 days after the judgment's publication.
Where to get help:
Victim Support 0800 842 846
Rape Crisis 0800 88 33 00
HELP Call 24/7 (Auckland): 09 623 1700, (Wellington): 04 801 6655 - push 0 at the menu
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) 022 344 0496