A girl sobbed as she told Nelson District Court how being raped as a 14-year-old runaway "had ruined her life".
The girl, who is now 17, was reading an impact report to Nelson District Court yesterday when Aaron James Pihema, 39, a security officer, appeared for sentence after earlier pleading guilty to a charge of sexual violation by rape.
The Nelson Mail reported the Richmond man told the runaway girl he was a social worker, then drove her to a remote rural location and violently raped her.
Judge Tony Zohrab jailed him for seven-and-a-half years.
Pihema's victim told the court that since the rape she had gone downhill, and had started stealing and taking drugs and thinking about committing suicide.
She said she dreamed about the attack, and saw Pihema's face in dreams of someone killing or raping her.
Judge Tony Zohrab said that at the time of the offence in 2005, the victim had run away from home. After staying with friends, she decided to spend the night at Washbourn Gardens in Richmond where Pihema approached her about midnight.
He told the girl he was a social worker and could take her somewhere safe. Instead he drove her 30km out of town and raped her despite her repeatedly telling him to stop and resisting him.
After the rape, Pihema drove the girl back to Richmond.
Last year the victim saw Pihema, and police matched a DNA sample with one taken from her earlier. Pihema was arrested in February.
Judge Zohrab said he was troubled by the fact that Pihema didn't seem to have considered the "awful truth" of what he had done and the "lifetime of sorrow" he had sentenced his victim to.
Defence lawyer Rob Somerville said that while Pihema's behaviour was inexcusable, his life was at a very low ebb at the time of the offending.
