‘How dare you’: Mother confronts child’s abuser in court

‘‘How dare you do that to my daughter,’’ the mother shouts.

But Kyle McGregor shows no emotion.

The woman is standing in court reading her own victim impact statement when she stops to challenge McGregor, the teenager who abused her 4-year-old girl, and filmed it.

She says her heart broke when her daughter told her what the 19-year-old had done just a few hours earlier, while they were playing hide and seek. ‘‘I hope you get a long sentence because I don’t believe you’ll ever change.’’

The woman spoke of the pain, watching her daughter be forensically examined at Nelson Hospital after the assault in October last year.

The girl’s favourite skirt and fancy boots had to be given to police as evidence.

‘‘I would rather die a thousand deaths than have to go through that again,’’ the woman said.

McGregor was charged with two counts of sexual violation, two counts of indecent assault and cre- ating an objectionable publication.

He was also charged with possessing objectionable publications as police found more than 1000 objectionable images on a USB when they searched his house.

McGregor told police he watched them to control his urges.

He admitted the charges in May, but sentencing was put off so preventive detention could be considered. He appeared at the High Court, in Blenheim, on Wednesday.

Offenders sentenced to preventive detention went to jail for an indefinite period, but could be paroled and managed by Corrections for the rest of their lives. They could also be recalled to prison at any time.

The girl’s mother said her daughter had nightmares and behavioural issues as a result of the offending.

‘‘Bedtimes, which were once easy, have become a long, drawnout process. She says she’s too scared to go to sleep because of the nightmares.’’

The mother was afraid to let the girl out of her sight, she said.

‘‘I have panic attacks about letting her go back to preschool.’’

The girl’s brother told his mother he hoped McGregor would spend ‘‘about 100 years’’ in jail ‘‘so we would never have to see him again’’. The boy felt responsible because he was hiding when the offending happened, and said he did not look after her properly, the woman said. ‘‘We’ve resigned ourselves to the fact there will be no nights out or weekends away. We do not trust anyone with our children. It’s a small price to pay if it ensures our children’s safety.’’

McGregor’s lawyer Rob Harrison said McGregor was young, willing to do counselling and could yet be rehabilitated.

He had a dysfunctional, violent upbringing. He left school early and while he did some short-term jobs, spent most of his time playing computer games at home.

He said he was ‘‘horrified at himself’’ for what he did, but blamed his actions on others and said people were over-reacting.

Several reports said McGregor had a medium to high risk of reoffending. Psychologists said his remorse was ‘‘limited’’ and recommended he do specialist courses for sex offenders in prison.

Justice David Collins agreed that he could be rehabilitated, and did not impose preventive detention. He sentenced McGregor to 6 years and 4 months in prison, with a minimum non-parole period of 3 years and 9 months.

McGregor’s name suppression was lifted at his sentencing.