A former Tongan Methodist lay minister and Sunday school teacher has been jailed for four years and 10 months for sexually assaulting a vulnerable young boy.
Hapa ‘Ofanoa, 47, has also been put on the child sex offender register.
He pleaded guilty early this year to three charges of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection and five charges of doing an indecent act on a young person.
The victim, who had “significant behavioural and physical difficulties”, was repeatedly abused by ‘Ofanoa between July 2014 and September 2017 while he was in his care.
The presiding judge, Patel, said ‘Ofanoa’s offending was “serious, repetitive and premeditated”.
“The offending also sits rather uncomfortably with your position in the church”, the Judge said.
The court was told that the victim’s parents trusted ‘Ofanoa and placed their son in his care as a healthcare assistant.
The judge said there was a significant breach of trust in ‘Ofanoa’s offending.
The court was also told that much of the offending occurred in the victim’s home.
A reference letter showed ‘Ofanoa expressed remorse, but the judge said there was no indication as to whether the report’s writer was aware of the nature or the extent of the offence to which he pleaded guilty.
“The reference letter portrays you in good terms, but again, there is no indication that the writer was aware of your offending”.
The judge ordered that ‘Ofanoa must be placed on the Child Sex Offender Register.
His registration followed that of Tongan pastor Siosateki Tonga Faletau, who was registered as a Child Sex Offender in 2022. Faletau was sentenced to two years and three months for indecently assaulting seven young girls from 2001 to 2020.
Background
‘Ofanoa was brought up in Tonga, and he graduated with a Certificate in Theology.
He was a lay preacher at a Methodist church before emigrating to New Zealand with his family in 2005.
He contributed to the Methodist church by being a choir conductor and a Sunday School teacher.
He had been employed since then. He has five children aged between 14 and 27.
Child sex offender register
In New Zealand, the register is a record of a range of up-to-date personal information about registered child sex offenders living in the community. It is a tool to help Police and Corrections staff with the monitoring of people who have offended in the past, to prevent re-offending and keep children safe.
Almost every person sent to prison will one day leave. Before a child sex offender is released from prison, careful planning is undertaken to reduce the likelihood of reoffending. Many offenders are released with special conditions or on extended supervision orders, which provide varying levels of protection to the community.
When a registered offender leaves prison, they are required to start reporting their personal information to the register and continue to do so until the end of their registration period. This applies to people who are subject to conditions or extended supervision orders, as well as those who are living freely in the community without conditions.
Corrections probation officers and Police case managers work with these people to develop a plan for their full reintegration back into the community. The aim is to support them in maintaining a low-risk lifestyle and protect the community where appropriate.
