A Tauranga man who weaponised his victim's Christian faith against her before raping her four times has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison, after a final act in court "reignited" his victim's trauma.
Rikki Tarei, 34, was sentenced in the Tauranga District Court on Thursday after a jury found him guilty last year of four counts of rape, including one involving strangulation. During the sentencing, Tarei read a letter of remorse that turned into a prayer for his victim, a move the young woman said mirrored his behaviour after each assault.
The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court how Tarei had manipulated her faith. "You told me I didn't pray enough, that demons were attached to me, that I smiled at too many people," she said in her victim impact statement. "You would pray in front of me, claiming to be supportive and loving while directly insulting me. I still panic whenever somebody tries to pray for me."
A faith betrayed
The court heard that the pair connected through their shared Christian faith. The victim’s mother described her initial impression of Tarei as "a good Christian man with a strong, solid faith," an answer to a prayer. This trust was shattered by Tarei’s escalating abuse, which has had a devastating impact on the young woman's own spirituality.
When he prayed over me via his apology letter, it brought me right back to the place of each assault. He showed no remorse or accountability to me at all. All it did was reignite my trauma.
She described how she has withdrawn from church communities, unable to cope with the environment of prayer and worship that Tarei once used to control her. "All I see is you on your knees, singing your heart out, while I sit there still in pain from the last assault," she said. What was once a "source of comfort and strength" has become a source of "shame and confusion".
The abuse has left both physical and psychological scars. The victim detailed internal injuries and ongoing neck pain from the strangulation, along with daily panic attacks, insomnia, and paranoia. The trauma derailed her plans to attend university and has left her needing constant support to perform basic tasks.
This week's sentencing in the city's justice precinct comes as other parts of Tauranga see major development, such as the recent opening of the Pāpāmoa East Interchange, yet stories like this highlight the ongoing social challenges beneath the surface of a growing region.
Details of the violent attacks
Judge David Cameron detailed the circumstances of the four rapes during his sentencing remarks. The first occurred at the victim's home when Tarei became "grumpy" after she resisted his advances. Despite her saying, "No, I don't really want to," he told her to "shut up" and raped her.
The second attack happened while she was house-sitting. She woke from sleep to find Tarei assaulting her. When she asked what he was doing, he told her, "nothing, go back to sleep, you're dreaming," before continuing the assault.
The most violent incident involved two separate rapes on the same night at a motel. Tarei first forced himself on her after she said no. The second time, she again refused, saying "stop" and moving to the edge of the bed. Tarei responded by grabbing her throat, squeezing until she could not breathe and lost consciousness. She woke up to him raping her.
'My mind isn't waiting for justice, it's waiting for safety'
The victim’s mother also read a statement, speaking of the "immense guilt" she felt for trusting Tarei with her daughter. She recalled having "an awful pit in [her] stomach" the weekend her daughter was away with Tarei at the motel, and now questions her own judgment of character.
The victim explained that her relationships with male family members have been strained, "not because I think they would hurt me, but knowing they could." Her powerful statement encapsulated her ongoing struggle: "People tell me that once court is over, I can heal. And I tell myself that too. But my body and my mind isn't waiting for justice, it's waiting for safety."
For those affected by similar issues, support is available. Organisations like Victim Support provide resources and assistance to people harmed by crime and trauma. The justice system itself is part of a wider community framework that requires constant investment, a topic of national discussion in the government's latest national infrastructure plan.
The sentencing
Crown prosecutor Molly Tutton-Harris argued for a starting sentence of 13 to 14 years, citing aggravating factors including the planning involved, the victim's vulnerability, the extreme violence of the strangulation, and Tarei's previous convictions for violence.
Tarei’s lawyer, Peter Attwood, noted that while Tarei had denied the offending in a pre-sentence report, he had since expressed a willingness to engage in rehabilitation programmes. It was after this that Tarei was permitted to read his letter.
Judge Cameron adopted a starting point of 10 years' imprisonment. He acknowledged the victim's vulnerability and the severe, ongoing effects of the abuse but did not accept the Crown’s argument that the crimes were premeditated. He applied a four-month uplift for Tarei's prior convictions.
However, the judge gave a 10 per cent total discount on the sentence: five per cent for Tarei's prospects of rehabilitation and a further five per cent for his "limited expressions of remorse" in the letter. The final sentence handed down was nine years, three months and 14 days' imprisonment.
