A former pastor and counsellor jailed for more than 12 years, has done incalculable harm to two girls and their family, a judge says.
Justice Mark Woolford was sentencing James Leyland Watkins, 65, in the High Court at Rotorua on 16 charges of sexual violation, one each of indecently assaulting girls of six and seven, three of inducing a child under 12 to do an indecent act on him and six of sexual violation by rape.
He ordered Watkins to spend at least five-and-a-half years behind bars before he's to be considered for parole.
The court heard Watkins, a former pastor and counsellor in Rotorua and Tokoroa, had been extradited from Colorado in the United States to face the charges, which spanned a period between 2000 and 2006.
One victim sobbed throughout the sentencing.
In emotional victim impact statements she and her sister outlined how Watkins had befriended their parents and taken sexual advantage of them.
One, now 23, said she had believed his conduct was normal until she started a sex education programme at school when she was 11. As she matured she felt so worthless and ashamed she turned to drugs to numb her pain.
"Having met Watkins through the church she shied away from religion but in September I gave myself back to the Lord," she said.
She was now studying to be a social worker so she could help others in the situation she'd been in. In recent weeks she'd felt able to forgive Watkins.
Her 22-year-old sister said his actions led to her being put on anti-depressants for life and had repeated flashbacks.
She too had felt so shamed she'd turned to alcohol and drugs and, because she associated him with the church, had never been able to go into one since the abuse stopped when he left the country.
"But I am a survivor. I am strong now," she said.
Watkins' lawyer, Martin Hine, asked that consideration be given to Watkins' poor health and the fact he had no close family in New Zealand.
He also said Watkins would be vulnerable in jail and had been threatened while on remand.
However, Justice Woolford indicated Watkins could receive treatment in prison and that as he was a New Zealand citizen he undoubtedly knew people who could visit him.