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Te Mahara Ruhe
Mark Ruhe
Indecent assault of a 13 year Tauranga boy twice in 1984 and once in 1985 while the boy was in Tauranga Hospital
.
.
none known
Born 1946
At large
Sentenced to 2 years 3 months in November 2008
Background
From Hawkes Bay Today story 28th November 2008
A former Tauranga Hospital nurse found guilty at trial of sexually molesting a teenage boy at the hospital over 20 years ago has been jailed for two years three months.
Te Mahara (aka Mark) Ruhe, 63, who was convicted of one count of indecent assault and two counts of doing an indecent act on a male in 1984 and 1985, when the victim was aged 13 and 14, after a trial jury in September, was sentenced in Tauranga District Court yesterday.
The jury accepted Ruhe had sexually abused his victim in 1984 - once on his first visit to hospital for treatment for a broken arm and then several weeks later on his return for further treatment.
The victim was also abused a year later while being treated for another broken limb. The now 37-year-old victim lodged a complaint with Tauranga police in December last year.
He gave evidence at trial that during each visit to the hospital he was initially treated by a female nurse before a male Maori nurse [later identified as Ruhe] came in to clean up the mess from the plaster cast being applied and abused him.
Crown prosecutor Sharee Christensen submitted to Judge Thomas Ingram that a prison sentence of two to 21/2 years was warranted plus an uplift for the totality of Ruhe's offences and given the substantial harm caused to his victim.
Judge Ingram said given Ruhe's age and stage in life, his lack of previous convictions and his considerable contribution to the community during his nursing career, apart from this lapse, he would give him a nine months credit against an otherwise three year jail term
From the Bay of Plenty Times 25th September 2008
A Tauranga District Court jury yesterday took just 30 minutes to find a former Tauranga Hospital nurse guilty of sexually molesting a teenage boy at the hospital 24 years ago.
Security guard Te Mahara (aka Mark) Ruhe, 62, was convicted of one count of indecent assault and two counts of doing an indecent act on a male in 1984 and 1985, when the victim was aged 13 and 14.
The offences have a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment. During the trial, which began on Tuesday, the victim said Ruhe sexually abused him twice in 1984 - once on his first visit to hospital for treatment for a broken arm and then several weeks later when he returned for further treatment. The victim was also abused a year later while being treated for another broken limb.
The now 37-year-old victim said each time he was initially treated by a female nurse before a male Maori nurse came in to clean up the mess from the plaster cast being applied. The indecencies occurred while he was alone with the Maori nurse.
The man said he was "a quiet, shy, kid" who was just too scared and nervous to say anything to Ruhe when the indecencies were going on and too ashamed to tell anyone about them. He denied making the allegations up. The man lodged a complaint with Tauranga police in December last year. Crown prosecutor Sharee Christensen told the jury members they could be certain the victim was telling the truth, as under cross-examination by Ruhe's lawyer David Bates, he had not embellished the facts.
Mr Bates argued there were a number of inconsistencies and ambiguities in the man's testimony, when compared with his original complaint to police. The jury could not be certain the incidents had occurred as the man had described nor could they be entirely sure Ruhe was the nurse who had molested the man, he said. Mr Bates said he was not being unkind but the complainant admitted he had been diagnosed with a psychiatric mood disorder.
Ruhe's former hospital supervisor also gave evidence that Ruhe had worked at the hospital's accident and emergency and orthopaedic departments during the offence dates.
She told the jury that as best as she could recall, Ruhe was the only male Maori nurse working in those departments during that period. Ruhe denied the incidents took place, telling police he had no recollection of the incidents when spoken to about them on January 6. Judge Thomas Ingram remanded Ruhe on bail for a probation report and sentence on November 27.
