Raurangi Marino has been sentenced today to ten years imprisonment for rape. Stuff reports: Raurangi Marino drank between 20 and 30 bottles of beer before stumbling into the Turangi campground, assaulting and raping a five-year-old tourist girl.Marino, 16, was today jailed for 10 years for rape, seven for grievous bodily harm and two years for burglary. The terms were to be served concurrently.
The Rotorua District Court heard Marino had been on a 10-hour drinking binge and smoking cannabis leading up to the attack on the girl in December.
He broke into a unlocked caravan parked at Club Habitat and assaulted the girl while her parents were less than 20 metres away in an amenities block.
Marino had gone to two parties during the day, the second party he left after an argument and wandered into the camp ground where he tried to open car doors.
He found the caravan where the young victim was sleeping unlocked and went in.
The girl screamed and tried to run away but he grabbed her, choking her and hitting her around the head and face.
She was left with four missing teeth and serious internal injuries. He fled when her mother returned.
Judge Phillip Cooper said Marino had a dysfunctional family background involving drug taking, gang connections and alcohol abuse, but this did not condone his behaviour.
"You are responsible for your actions but your whanau and extended whanau are responsible for your upbringing which has involved a young man who has committed a serious crime."
Think back to our post on Sunday morning about Hawkes Bay man Henare O'Keefe, who said that children aren't born bad, but are the products of their upbringing. Whilst it's clear that Marino's upbringing has been very different to ours, it does not for one moment excuse his conduct. However his whanau should be looking deeply inward today.
And Marino's upbringing has been recognised at sentencing; read on:
Judge Cooper gave a starting point of imprisonment of 18 years because of the seriousness of the offending but gave a discount of four and a half years because of Marino's youth, dysfunctional upbringing, remorse and early guilty plea.
We're not quite sure at the maths there; Wouldn't a four-and-a-half year reduction (which we don't have a major problem with) from a starting point of 18 years give a sentence of 13 1/2 years? In addition, there doesn't appear to have been a non-parole period imposed. Does that mean that Marino will become eligible for parole at one third of his sentence?
So yes; we're angry; angry that a young child could be exposed to such appalling violence from a 16 year old. We're outraged that Marino will in all probability be back on the streets by about the time he is 21, whereas the victim will carry her scars forever.
But most of all we're sad; sad that a young, innocent child was robbed of her innocence by a drunk, stoned lout. And we're sad that New Zealnders still treat their children with such violence that they become like Raurangi Marino; a product of his upbringing. Somewhere along the way, we simply MUST break the cycle of abuse, because we're sure of one thing; there are dozens more Raurangi Marinos out there; ticking timebombs, where no-one knows when they will explode as Marino did.
11 comments:
Gutted, bitterly disappointed, repulsed, nauseated, powerless, ignored.
hate to think how the victim and her family feels.
Inv, what happened here is an outrage. It is NOT justice, and I for one hope this piece of filth is killed in prison. I hope it suffers an agonizing death.
why concurrent sentences, why not consecutive
There is, for me, a shocking contrast between the charity and grace displayed by the child's family and some of the domestic NZ commentary produced around this terrible event. I hoped that some of those qualities would rub off on us, and allow us to see beyond knee-jerk, retributive responses, into the bigger issues that you allude to in your post, issues which do not admit to simplistic and easy answers.
Good comment Robert re the family of the victim. As I blogged a couple of weeks ago, they have shown incredible and commendable grace. There has to be a lesson there.
Some thoughts.
FES over at Kiwiblog seems to think that this sentence is on par with the sentencing guidelines set by the Court of Appeal.
I think it was possibly 2 years light but that may be just tinkering around the edges.
Whether there is an appeal I do not know. The Crown Solicitor could appeal to make a point but then again he may not. Time will tell.
The reaction of the people who comment on various blogs to the sentence is of real concern to me.
We claim to be a civilised society yet when a crime like this is committed there is a feral bloodlust released with the cries for brutal vengance.
I thought we were better than that.
The Judge evaded responsibility by not imposing a non parole period. Out in 4 and laughing.
QH, to be honest I did initially feel an overwhelming desire to castrate the boy with a rusty spoon but that desire gave way to the utter disbelief that we allow concurrent scentences for this level of offending.
You say you think 12 years would be appropriate... I ask that you look within your heart and tell me you would be satisfied with this sentence if it was your daughter?
Ciaron; if it were my daughter, no sentence would satisfy me. But I'm sure that the sentencing Judge will have done it by the book.
Well IV2 I have no doubt that the judge acted within his bounds, I just question whether those bounds are pursuant with the will of the people anymore....
After reading some of these comments I actually now feel worse than repulsed, nauseated, powerless,- This vile disgusting event is beyond belief and I am sickened by the limpwristed excuses and statements like "feral bloodlust" and "brutal vengeance" eminating forth. Get real for gods sake - this sack of refuse and those around him are not of the ilk that will EVER either understand or care. justice must be served to the maximum applicable, and is not being done here. To my mind there now exists is (and should be) a rumbling undercurrent of concerned individuals that should be taken seriously. Read my lips - THERE IS NO FIX - IT IS TOO LATE - unless someone sees reason!!!
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