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Wallace Stent
.
Unlawful sexual connection with a girl under 12, indecent assault on a girl under 12 (x2), indecent assault on a girl aged 12-16 (x5)
and performing indecent acts on a girl under 12 (x3), all relating to the same victim between 1980 and 1987
.
.
none known
Born 1934
Unknown
Sentenced to just 2 years 6 months in December 2008
Background
From Bay of Plenty Times story 19th December 2008
A Bay man has been jailed for two years and six months, after admitting historical sexual offending against a young girl over a period of eight years. Wallace Stent, 74, who in November admitted 11 representative sexual abuse charges, was sentenced in Tauranga District Court yesterday by Judge Thomas Ingram. The charges included three of performing indecent acts on a girl aged under 12, two of indecent assault on a girl under 12, five of indecent assault on a girl aged between 12 and 16, plus one of unlawful sexual connection with a girl under 12.
The court heard the offences occurred between 1980 and 1987 when the victim was being cared for by Stent during her mother's absence, at a time when Stent was a trusted family friend. Crown prosecutor Julie O'Brien submitted that a prison term of between eight and nine years was justified, before making any discount for mitigating factors, including Stent's guilty pleas and a $20,000 reparation payment he had made to his victim. But Stent's lawyer Rachael Adams argued the starting point was too high, and said six to eight years was appropriate, with significant allowances for mitigating factors, including Stent's age, otherwise good character, and guilty pleas.
Ms Adams said Stent had been assessed by a psychologist as being at a low risk of reoffending. Ms Adams argued two years' imprisonment would be a "merciful and justified" sentence and asked for it to be substituted by home detention. The fear was that if Stent was imprisoned, given the inherent hardships for a man of his age, ill- health and vulnerability, he might not live long enough to see his release date, she said. Judge Ingram said Stent was a man who represented a sentencing conundrum for any judge dealing with serious historical sexual offences, as he had lived an otherwise "blameless, useful and worthwhile life". Stent was entitled to significant credit for that, as well as the other mitigating factors, the judge said.
But Judge Ingram said given the repetitive nature of Stent's offending, home detention would not be appropriate. Judge Ingram described Stent's actions as long-term depraved offending, against a defenceless child who had her life blighted by Stent's substantial breach of trust. The abuse had impacted significantly on the victim's ability to form appropriate relationships and she had used alcohol to try and cope, which Stent had introduced her to at a young age, he said. The judge said the Crown characterised Stent's actions as "sexual grooming", which in his view was an entirely accurate description. But he said it was appropriate to give Stent a three-and-half year deduction on an otherwise six-year prison term.
