21 Aug 2018

War vet gets 12 years for raping three granddaughters

3:27 pm on 21 August 2018

A Vietnam War veteran has been jailed for more than 12 years for raping his three granddaughters.

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Photo: 123RF

The 73-year-old, who has name suppression, plead guilty to 17 charges in June including two counts of rape and eight of doing an indecent act on a child under 12.

At the High Court in Whangarei Justice Downs described the man's offending as systematic sexual abuse, with his grandchildren staying at his home frequently.

Aged between six and eight, the girls were violated over a two year period between the start of 2016 and November 2017.

The man's sentence was reduced because of his guilty plea and issues following a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder after his war experience.