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Offender Databases Tony Wells

Tony Wells

Alias

.

Offences

Sexual violation of a Palmerston North woman in September 2007

Victims

.

Offender Affiliations

.

Gang affiliations

none known

Age

Born 1981

Current Location

At large

Parole/Release Dates

Sentenced to 3 years 9 months in April 2008

Background
Manawatu Standard, Tuesday, 15th April 2008
Palmerston North man Tony Wells, 27, was sentenced to three years and nine months' jail yesterday in the city's district court for the sexual violation of a woman he'd never met before after offering her a ride home in the small hours of September 22 last year.

About 3am, Wells had stopped his car at the intersection of Grey and Rangitikei streets when he saw the victim, Judge Nevin Dawson said. Wells asked her for directions to a nearby street. He asked if she wanted a ride home. She declined and continued walking. Wells then drove through the intersection and did a u-turn and pulled up beside her and the woman eventually agreed to a ride home.

The victim's directions home were ignored. She began to panic. Wells drove along Featherston Street towards Botanical Road. At a set of traffic lights, the victim attempted to get out, but Wells drove off before she could do so. Wells then demanded she remove some items of clothing, threatening worse if she did not do as she was told. He came to a stop on Pioneer Highway and turned his lights off. She tried to fight back, scratching him.

The victim was then sexually violated and forced to perform indecent acts on Wells, who threatened rape if she didn't comply. After a time, Wells started the car and dropped the victim off near Wood Street. Lawyer Fergus Steedman said Wells' actions that morning were "unexpected, unprovoked and inexcusable". While, Wells couldn't "rationalise" his actions that night, Mr Steedman said, he'd been "desperately lonely and sad" days before committing this, his first offence. Wells had struggled to come to terms with his father's passing and his partner and child moving to Australia, Mr Steedman said.

"He wanted to talk to someone." But in a short space of time, things went "badly wrong", he said. "His actions were out of character . . . this would appear to have been a one off." In sentencing, Judge Dawson said personal difficulties didn't justify making someone else's life a "living hell". "Quite simply, you forced yourself on her for reasons of your own self gratification. "Your lack of respect for her as a person is chilling." Wells' actions were "abominable", Judge Dawson said. "I need to hold you accountable for the victim and the community as a whole. "This is your first offence and I hope your last."

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Corrections and Additional Information
We endeavour to make this database as accurate as possible, but we are at the mercy of whatever information we can find in various online and offline archives. We rely on the public - that is, people like you - to fill in the gaps that we cannot. If you wish to submit additional information or a correction to this file CLICK HERE . Privacy: Trust policy is that all sources are treated as strictly confidential unless we are explicitly told otherwise. If you wish to see a file removed from this database certain conditions must be met by the offender set out HERE Note that this does NOT apply for those that are the primary offender in a murder, rape, or any sexual offending involving minors. We do not enter into correspondence regarding the guilt/innocence of offenders. Such correspondence is not responded to, especially if the offender concerned has a number of prior convictions

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