Raurangi Marino, a 16 year old youth, has been sentenced to only 10 years in prison for burglary and the brutal assault and rape of a 5 year old tourist in Turangi.

Marino had earlier pleaded guilty to charges of burglary, sexual violation by rape and causing grievous bodily harm. His young victim was only 5 years old when Marino attacked her as she lay sleeping in her family’s caravan at the Club Habitat holiday park in Turangi. It is thought that the European family were on holiday from Belgium.

Marino is rumoured to have inflicted horrendously sadistic injuries on the little girl, too graphic to repeat here and she will likely bear the scars for life. One has to question if 10 years is a sufficient punishment for this crime, given that he could be out on parole and back into the community in a few years. The NZ public should insist that a condition of any parole is that he has no contact with gang members.

Further details were released about what happened on the night of the attack, it seems that the girl was not asleep when Marino attacked her

WHAT HAPPENED

Inside the caravan, Raurangi Marino locked the door and grabbed the girl around the neck as she tried to flee.

He began to choke her in an attempt to stop her screams; he did so with such force that she passed out. Then he began to beat her about the face and body with his fists and elbows while sexually assaulting her.

The attack on the girl left her with four teeth knocked out and serious internal injuries.

Both her eyes were swollen shut and she had cuts and bruising to her face.

She was rushed to Waikato Hospital in a life-threatened condition and underwent surgery for 4½ hours.

The family is deeply traumatised by the attack and say their dream New Zealand holiday had been turned into a nightmare

Judge Cooper said the girl had suffered significant emotional trauma and there could be consequences for her when she was an adult.

Marino confessed to police several days later. Judge Cooper said the attack had impacted enormously on the girl’s parents and they were showing signs of post traumatic stress disorder…

…Rotorua Crown Solicitor Fletcher Pilditch said “heads had been shaking the breadth of the country” and the community of New Zealand had been bewildered at how “one of our own” could commit such a brutal attack.

The victim and her family had come to New Zealand to enjoy “its places, people and peace”.

Mr Pilditch referred to comments made by the victim’s mother that their dream holiday in New Zealand had turned into a nightmare.

We don’t understand why New Zealand is so bewildered by this attack, take one look at Marino’s upbringing – it’s not at all unusual in New Zealand, it takes society to raise a child and it is failing thousands of them every day.

Lenient sentence is “a joke”

There have been calls for Marino’s sentence to be extended and the ODT reported that the judge, showing a compassion for Marino that was denied to his victim,  had scaled back the sentence from a starting point of 18 years

Aucklander Tamsin Marshall, who is launching a petition for cumulative sentences instead of concurrent sentences as a result of this case, described the sentence as a joke and said Marino should be serving 19 years’ jail.

“If we were in America he would be locked up for a long time.”…

…Judge Cooper said the starting point was 18 years’ jail but reduced the sentence to 10 years, acknowledging Marino’s early guilty plea, his dysfunctional background and remorse.

Once Were Warriors upbringing

According to the report in The New Zealand Herald Marino came from a dysfunctional background and was caught up with New Zealand’s shameful and ever present gang culture. It sounds very much like a Once Were Warriors upbringing:

“The court heard how Marino had come from a troubled, violent background and dysfunctional family and was drunk at the time of the attack and could recall little of it.

He had been bullied, abused, attempted suicide and began taking drugs and alcohol from an early age, the court heard.

The families of both of his parents had been involved in gangs…”

His mother,  Lavina Wall, who had been involved with the Black Power gang, reportedly gave a dismal account of family life in New Zealand and her failings as a parent, saying

“I didn’t safeguard my children, and I didn’t apply myself to looking after them“…

…Ms Wall, a former Black Power associate, said her son endured regular beatings at home.

“I wanted it to stop but I couldn’t because I was a hard-out alcoholic and it was the family versus me.”

Raurangi Marino’s father, Mark Marino was involved with the rival Mongrel Mob and is an ex convict.

Marino’s father, Mark Marino – a Taupo Mongrel Mob member – said he feared for his son’s safety in prison.

Having served time himself, he knew of prisoners with similar convictions who “just disappeared” in jail.

“The sad thing is that everyone wants him to be chucked in with the lions. From my experience not all like him come out. I’m not able to help him now; he will be on his own for a while.”

Bit late to be wanting to help your son now Mr Marino, where we you for the last 16 years. Where were you the night your son got out of his skull and raped that little girl?

The above photograph, taken over a year ago, comes from Raurangi Marino’s Facebook profile, F.T.P. means f*ck the police and Killah is his ‘gangsta’ name. Another photograph shows him posing in front of a mirror. More pleasant shots    show him as part of a Kapa Haka group.

Gang connections tipped months ago

Earlier the Sunday Star Times had reported that Marino’s family had gang connections:

The Star-Times understands the teen’s father had been associated with the gang, but not since the attack, which shocked New Zealand in the lead-up to Christmas. The boy’s father cannot be named for legal reasons.

The claims were made by several sources close to the investigation.

The family and the boy are connected to a gang,” one said. “The family is gang-associated. It’s not just the father.”

Another source said: “The family are well-recognised as being what they are … rotten apples. Where are you heading in society when you have this underbelly?”…

…The Star-Times has been shown a photo that shows him posing, shirtless, with a gang nickname and an anti-police slogan clearly visible.”

Around Christmas time talk of gang problems in the township, which is 6 kilometres from the Tongariro-Rangipo Prison, was already leaking out.

At the time the New Zealand Herald reported that gang members were seen in the neighbouring reserve shortly before the attack, saying:

“Neighbours who live across the road from the holiday park told the Herald that the Mongrel Mob were out in “full force” on Wednesday night.

Gang members were partying at a home in nearby Raukura St and the residents saw a blue or grey van and black hatchback vehicle parked outside the reserve next to the camping ground between 9.30pm and 10pm…”

Turangi locals had also  said that the Mongrel Mob was out in force on the night that the girl was attacked. We also knew that members of the Notorious Chapter of the Mongrel Mob have been involved in the Salvation Army’s residential Hauora treatment programme (for P addicts) which had been held at the holiday camp.

Drugs and excessive alcohol

Whether the use of the drug P was involved in this incident is unclear but a report the day after sentencing did say that Marino had been drinking and taking drugs which included cannabis:

The court was told how Marino was high on alcohol and drugs after drinking 20 to 30 bottles of beer, and RTDs, as well as smoking cannabis at a work function and party.

The youth had been drinking for 8-10 hours at an “unsupervised party” prior to the attack. There was no mention of gang members being present at that party and the defence may have keen to play down any active links to the Mongrel Mob so as to not adversely influence sentencing. We expect more about this to be revealed as time progresses.

Our other blogs on this dreadful crime include:

Belgian Girl’s Rapist Has “Gang Connections” – “Killah” Updated

Mongrel Mob Active At Time Of Turangi Campsite Attack – Updated

Turangi Camp Site Attack – “New Zealand Needs To Take A Good Look At Itself” The World Is Watching

NZ gang related rapes of children (press reports)

Gang member raped 10 year-old – “A 17-year-old Black Power gangster with an attitude towards women described in court as ”terrifying”, has been jailed for five years for the rape of a 10-year-old girl.  Te Mana Rakatau was aged 15 when the offence occurred while he was on holiday in the Waikato in 2008.” The youth was made a fully patched Black Power so as to ‘afford him some protection’ whilst serving out his sentence.