Man's sex with underage teen leaves trail of despair

- This story discusses sexual offending and may be distressing for some readers.

A girl has changed from a vibrant young teen to someone riddled with anxiety and who has lost trust in people after an older man had sex with her.

The girl's mother told Judge Glen Marshall in the Hamilton District Court that Jessie Morgan had destroyed her daughter physically, psychologically and spiritually after he met her several years ago.

Morgan, 22, went to trial in April this year, defending six charges, including strangulation, rape and assault with a weapon, but admitted a charge of sexual connection with a young person.

The jury acquitted him of all charges he defended.

At his sentencing on the sexual connection charge, the mother read a statement on behalf of herself and her daughter, in which she said the girl, who has automatic name suppression, was now a different person.

"From a young age, [she] was a warm, caring, kind and lovely girl.

"She was always smiling with an infectious sense of humour... never taking life too seriously."

But then she met Morgan.

"The actions of Jessie Morgan have impacted all [areas] of her development."

Watching her struggle with the trauma and to function at times was "one of the most challenging things we have ever had to deal with", the woman said.

"Seeing our daughter disappear and become severely unwell was devastating."

She lost trust in people and struggled to be around men.

"There were times when she couldn't eat, could not sleep, she woke up with nightmares... and began having severe anxiety.

"She no longer felt safe in her own body. She wanted the pain to stop."

However, her daughter's biggest driver in coming forward to the police was to ensure that such incidents would not happen to anybody else.

Crown prosecutor Raewyn Greenhalgh suggested a starting point of two to three years' jail, and urged the judge to limit Morgan's guilty plea discount, because the victim and her family still had to endure a trial.

A pre-sentence report did not recommend an end sentence of home detention because of reports of family harm incidents, so Greenhalgh pushed for a short term of imprisonment.

She said Morgan had more life experience than the victim at the time of the offending.

Impulsive and opportunistic

Defence counsel Nadine Baier disputed that her client had exerted any sexual pressure on the victim to the extent that it would be an aggravating feature.

However, she accepted the impact of the offending on her.

"We can't shy away from that."

Baier suggested a starting point of two years and two months, while reminding the judge that her client had offered to plead guilty to the charge before trial, in December 2023.

"It was very well known [to the Crown] that he accepted having sex [with the victim] knowing that she was under 16."

She pushed for a 20 percent discount for Morgan's guilty plea.

Baier said Morgan "wasn't overly sophisticated" for his age at the time.

"His actions can be categorised as impulsive, opportunistic and with little consequential thought at the time."

He'd written a brief letter of remorse, which he had struggled with, as he had been acquitted of the other charges and then had to come to terms with his guilty plea "in his own mind", she said.

Morgan has been with his current partner for "some years", and the couple were expecting a child.

"He is showing the court that he has been able to maintain that without any issue."

Baier submitted that an end sentence of two years of imprisonment, or less, could be reached, once all the mitigating features were taken into account, and community detention and intensive supervision could then be considered.

However, responding to Morgan's letter, Greenhalgh said it focused more on how the offending had affected him, rather than the victim.

Judge Marshall said that, given Morgan's age, he was "more savvy about things" than the victim.

He said it took a great deal of courage for the victim's mother to read her statement to the court.

"It really brings home offending of this kind.

"It doesn't just affect one person; the whole family, community, as was rightly expressed."

The judge took a starting point of two years and six months' imprisonment before allowing a 20 percent discount for his plea, 15 percent for his youth, and 5 percent for his upbringing, which he said was "punctuated by huge instability".

That got it down to 18 months.

He converted the prison sentence to one of nine months' home detention, which would be served in the Wellington region.

The judge said it was feasible that Corrections had concerns about Morgan's family dynamics at home, but said home detention was the appropriate option.

However, he warned Morgan that, if he breached his sentence, he would be jailed.

Where to get help:

• Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason.
• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357.
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO. This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
• Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 or text 4202.
• Samaritans: 0800 726 666.
• Youthline: 0800 376 633 or text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz.
• What's Up: 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787. This is free counselling for 5 to 19-year-olds.
• Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 or text 832. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, and English.
• Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254.
• Healthline: 0800 611 116.
• Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155.
• OUTLine: 0800 688 5463.

If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

Sexual Violence

• NZ Police.
• Victim Support 0800 842 846.
• Rape Crisis: 0800 88 33 00.
• Rape Prevention Education.
• Empowerment Trust.
• HELP (Auckland): 09 623 1700, (Wellington): 04 801 6655.
• Safe to talk: 0800 044 334.
• Tautoko Tāne Male Survivors Aotearoa.
• Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) 022 344 0496.

Family Violence

• Women's Refuge: 0800 733 843.
• It's Not OK 0800 456 450.
• Shine: 0508 744 633.
• Victim Support: 0800 842 846.
• HELP Call 24/7 (Auckland): 09 623 1700, (Wellington): 04 801 6655.
• The National Network of Family Violence Services NZ has information on specialist family violence agencies.

This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.