Two Wellington brothel-keepers were jailed today for the historic rape of a teen, who soon after the assault began working for them as an child prostitute.
Gary John Duffin, the father of murdered Lower Hutt schoolgirl Karla Cardno, and Sharyn Lee Hills were found guilty in the High Court at Wellington in October of raping the 14-year-old girl, in what the victim described as a "breaking in", preparing her for servicing up to four clients per day in the couple's brothels. The jury also found Duffin guilty of indecent assault, through touching the girl's genital area, between May 1991 and December 1992.
Duffin was also found guilty of an additional charge of sexual violation, for later rubbing himself up against the girl's groin when briefing her for her first job in the couple's Mt Victoria brothel.
Hills and Duffin were found not guilty of two charges of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection.
Justice Warwick Gendall sentenced Duffin to to a total nine years in prison, eight years for the rape of the teen, two years for sexual violation, to be served concurrently, one year also concurrently for supplying cannabis and one year to be served consecutively for supplying a drug to a minor.
Hills was sentenced to a total of seven years, six years for the rape and one year for supplying drugs to a minor .
About two years before the sexual assault, Duffin's 13-year-old daughter Karla was kidnapped, raped, tortured and buried alive by Paul Dally.