An Ōpōtiki man will pay $10,000 in emotional harm reparation to a nine-year-old girl he admitted grooming and sexually assaulting.

Robert Wylde, 59, was sentenced to seven months’ home detention when he appeared in the Whakatāne District Court on Wednesday for sentence on charges of speaking threateningly, indecent assault of a girl under 12, grooming for sexual connection and exposing a young person to indecent material.

Judge Christopher Harding also ordered his registration on the children sex offender register.

The charges relate to Wylde’s interactions with a young neighbour.

Judge Harding told how Wylde gained the girl’s confidence over time and started spending time with her, unbeknownst to her parents.

Initially, the interactions were based around doing simple jobs around the home, but Wylde ended up spending longer periods with the girl and invited her to his house to show her a key chain collection that depicted genitals.

He encouraged the girl to call him grandpa, bribed her with food and emotionally manipulated her by crying if she refused to hug him.

He also threatened to thump her if she told anyone about what they talked about.

On one occasion, he pulled his pants down and showed her his penis. He did the same on another occasion, while singing a song to her.

The court heard he also made child-like sex dolls, saying he could not afford the real thing.

The victim impact statement told of the serious impact the offending has had on the girl.

She was scared of Wylde and embarrassed by her body. The family has moved out of the area because of his actions.

Although assessed as at low risk of re-offending in a probation officer’s report, Judge Harding took note of additional information available to him in sentencing that was not included in the summary of facts but which he said showed Wylde’s ongoing unhealthy sexual interest in children.

At his home, he had children’s clothing, underwear, pornography, cellphone images of children and toddlers and digital camera images of the victim along with the dolls .

“You obviously had interest in children for many years ... it paints a different picture than the pre-sentence report.

“All of that combined suggests you would continue to be a risk to the safety of children.”

For this reason, he required Wylde’s name be added to the child sexual offender register.

Prison sentence for unprovoked attack

An Edgecumbe man has been sentenced to prison for the unprovoked stabbing of a man in Kopeopeo in October last year.

Hamiora Wallace appeared for sentence on charges of possession of an offensive weapon and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and was sentenced to three years in prison.

He was also issued with a first strike, under the three strikes law.

Wallace, 24, was in a car driving south on King Street in Whakatāne on October 6 when he said to the other occupants of the car that he would stab his brother if they took him to an address.

When the car stopped, Wallace ran across to a man sitting on a bench, punched him with one hand and with the other, stabbed him in the shoulder with a small kitchen knife. He then kicked him in the leg.

The man was taken to hospital and needed stitches for the wound, although it was not serious.

Judge Harding said the victim was simply sitting there minding his own business when Wallace struck.

It was a “surprise, unprovoked attack” that did not appear to have been premeditated.

No pleas

Steven Dawson, 45, of Whakatāne, was remanded without plea to seek legal aid on charges of speaking threateningly, wilful damage and assault on a person in a family relationship.

He will appear on March 10.

Judge-alone trial

Paora Anaru Rangihika has elected trial by judge-alone on charges of assault with a blunt instrument, assault on a child, common assault and speaking threateningly.

The 34-year-old Whakatāne man denies all charges.

He is in custody, but his lawyer will make an application in March for him to be released on electronically monitored bail.

Assault with a crutch

Eruera Wilson swung his crutch at the head of a man outside the Whakatāne District Court in January, striking him in the ear.

Wilson was involved in a disorder incident on Pyne Street on January 13.

The court heard it was a “hostile situation” involving multiple people confronting each other.

Wilson, an amputee, approached the victim aggressively and made as if to punch him in the head.

He then swung his crutch, striking him in the left ear, resulting in him requiring medical attention.

In explanation, Wilson said he was being abused by the victim.

He was convicted on the charge of wounding with intent to injure, and remanded until April 15 for sentence.

Three times the legal limit

Steven Manson had a breath alcohol level of three times the legal limit and was speeding while subject to a zero alcohol licence.

The court heard that an unmarked police patrol car was on Thornton Road when the officers noticed Manson travelling at 120kmh in an area with an advisory speed of 65kmh.

He had earlier left an Edgecumbe property where he had consumed alcohol.

According to the police summary of facts, just before stopping for police, Manson crossed the centre line.

He admitted drinking and an evidential breath test returned a reading of 806 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit for driving is 250mcg.

His lawyer, Lisa Ebbers, said Manson acknowledged he had an issue with alcohol that he would like to deal with.

He was sentenced to supervision for 12 months and ordered to complete 60 hours of community work.

He was also disqualified from driving for 28 days, after which time he must have an alcohol interlock device fitted to his vehicle.

Indecent exposure

Wayne Michael Putt, 58, of Whakatāne has pleaded not guilty to exposing a young person to indecent material.

It is alleged the man sent indecent photos of his genitals to a person via online messaging.

The offending is alleged to have occurred on March 4 last year in Christchurch, with the message sent to a person over the age of 16.

He was remanded until May 20.

Treadmill of offending

A report has been ordered to help provide options for a recidivist trespasser and shoplifter stuck in a never-ending cycle of offending.

Te Maunganui Everest Singh-Lagah, 31, appeared from custody by audio-visual link to face a raft of charges relating to theft, trespass, interfering with a motor vehicle and possession of an offensive weapon.

He has pleaded guilty to all charges.

Most of the trespasses and thefts relate to Whakatāne supermarkets, involving thefts of items valued as low as $3.

Referencing his mental health issues, his lawyer, Kylee O’Connor, sought a “disposition” report be prepared to see if there were any other options available to Singh-Lagah.

She said he could not comply with community-based sentences because of his mental health and would forget to turn up.

He would get into a pattern of living on the street, forgetting to pick up his medication, commit more offences, end up on bail and in custody – a constant cycle.

Judge Harding ordered the report and remanded him for sentence on April 29.

“We’ve got to do something to stop you going round and round, committing offences and going to jail and getting out, and doing the same thing again.”

Pleas to amended charges

Henare Maui Whetu Peita has pleaded guilty to ammended charges of behaving threateningly, related to an incident on January 1.

Initially, the 27-year-old Rūātoki man faced a more serious charge of threatening to kill.

No convictions were entered with his lawyer, Kylee O’Connor, indicating that she intended to seek a Section 106 discharge without conviction.

Further remand

Judge Harding questioned the need for a second mental health report on Jaedyn Leaf, saying “we know what it is going to say”.

Leaf, 26, of Whakatāne, is in custody and appeared via audio visual link on charges of offensive behaviour, doing an indecent act in a public place, and wilful tresspass at the Whakatāne library.

Judge Harding questioned whether there was anything positive to be gained from the process, noting the only way it could be stopped would be for police to stop the charges.

But the police prosecutor said that if Leaf was released back into the community, he would just carry on with similar behaviour.

He was remanded in custody to allow the completion of a second report relating to his fitness to plead to the charges. He will appear next on March 11.

Community work sentence

After police withdrew a charge of failing to stop for police, Tyler Jackson Isley pleaded guilty to the remaining charge of driving while disqualified.

Having been disqualified from driving in June 2025, the 21-year-old Whakatāne man was seen by police driving on State Highway 30 on October 13. They turned to stop him, but he drove away at speed, reaching speeds of 120kmh in a 50kmh zone.

Police lost sight of him but later tracked him down and he was arrested.

In sentencing Isley to 40 hours’ community work, Judge Harding made note of his demerit points’ history, describing it as “quite disturbing” with five speeding demerit offences since 2022.

He said Isley had very little regard for his obligations as a road user.

“You are going to lose some time rather than lose some money,” he told him.

Driving dangerously

Maia-Rose Aroha Rogers was fined $250 plus court costs and disqualified from driving for six months after pleading guilty to driving dangerously.

Police withdrew a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm and have offered the 19-year-old Whakatāne woman diversion on a third charge of attempted taking of a motor vehicle.

The court heard that at 1.06am on December 13, Rogers and an associate were in College Road, Edgecumbe, where an attempt was made to take a vehicle.

The defendant’s role was as the driver of the vehicle they arrived in.

She fled from police, driving dangerously with no headlights on and over the speed limit.

She eventually stopped on Awakeri Road.