Far North man Alexander Wright sentenced to 20 years for rape and sexual abuse of girls

The verdict was welcomed by Jane Searle, manager of Child Matters, as an important sentence that meets justice.

“The trauma and lifelong impact on the lives of the victims affected cannot be underestimated.

“It is important that the justice system responds appropriately because the consequences are far-reaching, not only for the victims but also for the community,” Searle told NZME.

During a jury trial in the High Court in Whangarei Earlier this year, Wright was found guilty of 38 charges of sexual offenses against three girls, all under the age of 12 at the time.

The charges related to several types of offences, including eight rapes, which occurred repeatedly.

Judge Michael Robinson said the victims were strong, courageous and resilient young women with years of potential ahead of them.

“I especially want to recognize and pay tribute to their courage. Each continues to suffer for what you have done to them and each has a long way to go.

“Hopefully in the future they can take comfort that justice has been served because of their bravery,” Judge Robinson said.

For years, Wright offered to help the mother watch her children, sometimes at night, in his family home.

Almost immediately he began sexually abusing the children.

During one of the girl’s first overnight visits, Wright sexually assaulted her in the lounge and when she moved to a room to be closer to his wife so she could feel safe, he took her back to the lounge and assaulted her her again. The next morning he raped her.

“It is unclear whether your wife is aware that any of this took place,” Judge Robinson told the man who appeared in the dock at the Whangārei Supreme Court for his sentencing on Friday. He had no support from the court throughout the entire procedure.

‘You attacked her’

The girl indicated during the trial that Wright continually tried to touch her, both in her own home and his, and even when she locked herself in a bathroom to get away from him, he managed to reach her.

The girl believed that by putting up with Wright’s behavior she was protecting her younger sisters from him and was devastated to learn that they were also victims of his predatory behavior.

“There was nothing she could have ever done to protect them from you, you hunted them like you hunted her, she is not responsible for your transgressions at all. The only person responsible is you,” Judge Robinson said.

Wright forcibly restrained and raped another girl, while sexually assaulting another girl multiple times.

“She told you to stop, you told her not to tell you what to do and if she told anyone she wouldn’t see what was going to happen,” Judge Robinson said.

“How could you do that?”

One of the victims told the court that her childhood had been destroyed and her innocence taken away.

“I was told to keep my mouth shut, how can you do that to someone at the age of seven?

“Every man I looked at was a monster, every boy was a demon,” she said in court at the sentencing.

The victim said she feared she would be blamed if she told the truth and had a message for her younger self.

“I wish I could hug that seven-year-old and tell her, ‘There are no more worries and no more monsters living in the house.’”

Judge Robinson criticized Wright’s continued denials and viewed his offending as serious and significant.

“You claim to be the victim of false accusations, but your victims have had the courage to come forward.

“Instead of caring for them, you continually used and abused them for your own gratification… they were vulnerable children.”

Judge Robinson sentenced Wright to 20 years in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 10 years.

“If you continue to deny your wrongdoing, you will serve your full term. If you continue to deny your violation, no rehabilitation programs will be offered. Your prospects for rehabilitation seem slim.”

Wright was automatically added to the child sex offenders register.

Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.