Jailed for sex with teen | Rotorua News | Local News in Rotorua

A Rotorua married man has been jailed for four years and three months for having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old who later killed herself after receiving threatening text messages from his wife.

Pelesasa Tiumalu, 28, knew his wife was sending the threatening text messages to the teenager but he did nothing, Judge James Weir said as he sentenced Tiumalu in the Rotorua District Court yesterday.

"You were aware of the text messages ... you stood by and let your wife send threatening and abusive text messages to her," he said.

Tiumalu's wife, Elina, appeared in court in May, pleading guilty to charges of intimidation. She received a nine-month suspended sentence.

The 15-year-old died in Rotorua Hospital in July last year after she was found unconscious on the floor by her brother.

After a five-month relationship, Tiumalu called it off the day before the teenager's death.

As the teenager's emotionally distraught mother tried to read out her impact statement in court through tears, Tiumalu stood in the dock with his hands clasped in front on him, staring at the floor.

She was unable to read the entire statement but said her daughter "went out of her way" to help others no matter what their problems were.

"What happened to her has devastated and hurt me hard ... she meant the world to us all," she said through tears. "I can't read it. I'm sorry."

Tiumalu's lawyer, Panama Le'Au'anae, told the court his client had been split from his partner and child when he entered the relationship with the teenager but he didn't know she was only 15 until he saw her driver's licence.

"He is remorseful for his actions," he said.

Tiumalu never believed the girl would take her own life, he said.

"It's an extremely tragic case. Not in his wildest dreams could he have anticipated she would have taken her own life," he said.

Mr Le'Au'anae said Tiumalu, who is Samoan, could be deported when he was released from prison as he did not have New Zealand residency.

Crown Prosecutor Amanda Gordon said in submissions, Tiumalu had insisted the pair had unprotected sex, which had resulted in the girl carrying out a pregnancy test at least once.

Ms Gordon asked the court to consider a starting point of between five and six years' jail as the girl had been extremely vulnerable.

"Children are the most vulnerable in our society," she said.

Judge Weir said Tiumalu had breached the trust of the girl's family. He told her family he wasn't having sex with her and that he was only 20.

The judge read out part of a victim impact statement to the court from the girl's mother.

"You took her heart and she gave you her heart but that the worse thing was you took her love and used her and then discarded her," he said.

The consequences of Tiumalu's actions were "utterly tragic" for the family, Judge Weir said.

"You abused your position of trust. In my view you exploited her - you lied," he said.

Outside court, Tiumalu's wife said she was sorry for threatening the girl.

"I do have regrets. I feel sad but at the end of the day I'm only human," she said.