File photo. Photo: SunLive
WARNING: This story details sexual violence.
Tauranga's top prosecutor has explained why they didn't seek a prison term for a convicted teen rapist after a heavy public backlash over his home detention sentence.
Jayden Desmond Meyer, now 18, was charged after multiple police complaints by young women in Bay of Plenty who alleged sexual violence across 2020 and 2021.
An investigation followed, resulting in 10 charges including four of rape, four of sexual violation, and two of doing an indecent act. There were five young female victims, four of whom were raped and one who was sexually violated.
Meyer was sentenced to nine months' home detention and a further 12 months of post-release conditions, including a ban on associating with anyone under 16 and attending a sexual violence prevention programme.
Growing anger surrounding the sentence has prompted public protests - planned for this afternoon - in cities across the North Island.
This afternoon, Tauranga's Crown Solicitor Anna Pollett defended the sentence, explaining that a "rehabilitative approach is to protect the community in the long term from re-offending".
"In the circumstances of this prosecution, and in careful consideration of all the available material, the Crown did not oppose a sentence of home detention to balance the need for accountability and deterrence while also maximising the opportunity for intensive rehabilitation of the young person," Pollett said, in a rare statement from a Crown Solicitor.
The sentence, she also mentioned, included numerous conditions to ensure compliance and engagement with the rehabilitation programme.
This includes post-detention conditions and court-imposed judicial monitoring which Pollett said "adds a further layer of scrutiny to ensure compliance with the sentence".
Meyer's lawyer Rachael Adams also told the court a sentence of home detention would be most appropriate.
The Crown had, however, accepted imprisonment would be the ordinary sentence for offending like Meyer's; "and indeed one of many years".
Judge Christopher Harding agreed, and said a sentence of imprisonment being typical of this level of offending is "undoubtedly correct".
"I accept the probation report and the submissions of counsel that home detention on all charges is the appropriate outcome," Harding's decision reads.
Ahead of today's protests, a post made by Tauranga barber Spencer McNeil on Instagram criticising the sentence has received more than 80,000 likes.
This prompted him to organise a march down Mount Maunganui's main street, with New Zealand social media influencer Jazz Thornton throwing her support behind the protest.
Further protests have been organised by young people in Hamilton, Gisborne, and Whanganui.
A petition opposing the sentence on change.org has now amassed almost 26,000 signatures.
- this story was first published on the NZ Herald website.