WARNING: This article deals with sexual abuse and may be upsetting to some readers.

A man’s predatory offending against women and young girls had spanned two decades before a girlfriend, suspicious of his actions, brought it to an end following a grim discovery.

Now, Dean Sigley has come face to face with a courtroom filled with his victims, many of whom were known to him and some who had only recently learned they were victims.

Sigley, of Kawakawa, appeared in the Whangārei District Court for sentencing last week before Judge John McDonald.

The 52-year-old had pleaded guilty earlier this year to 19 charges of unlawful sexual connection, rape, possessing intimate visual recordings, making intimate visual recordings and possessing objectionable publications. The offending dated back to 2004.

But it only came to light last year when his former girlfriend became suspicious he was cheating on her and went through his phone. What she found was much worse.

Among the files, there were images of young girls in parks, secret recordings of women and children showering, and videos of him sexually violating young girls while they were sleeping.

There was also a covertly taken video of him having sex with his girlfriend.

“The day I found evidence on your phone, at that stage, I didn’t realise I was a victim. You were the one to destroy my soul, a betrayal of the worst kind. I have been left violated,” she told him at sentencing.

The woman immediately took the phone to the police who discovered almost 30,000 explicit images of children.

Seven victims were identified and Judge McDonald said it was likely he had shared the explicit images with others around the world.

A Northland father who had welcomed Sigley into his home said he betrayed him by sneaking into his daughter’s room

“You were ... the one we all looked up to, the one we would come to for help, the surfer, the skateboarder, the one who was the centre of attention at a party.

“The one who was always the last man standing. We opened our home up to you.”

The father said he trusted Sigley and hadn’t recognised the signs in his daughter when she began rebelling.

“In hindsight, I see how fake you are, how you have managed to manipulate people for years, you have groomed children. You’re a f**** mongrel for doing this,” he told Sigley, who was crying in the dock.

Another victim, a woman, said Sigley had taken videos of her and her daughter in the shower.

“It was a calculated misuse of our trust.”

Dean Sigley was sentenced in the Whangārei District Court. Photo / Shannon Pitman

Crown lawyer Bernadette O’Connor said Sigley’s damage to the community was an utter gross breach of trust.

“The ongoing impact, the anxiety, the inability to sleep, alcohol, parents who can’t trust others, parents blaming themselves for not protecting their children and the vulnerability of victims occurring while their parents were asleep,” she said.

Judge McDonald agreed and said Sigley’s premeditation was present to a high degree.

“You have ripped the heart out of these people, the deceit, the mask of friendship and behind that was an evil sexual predator, many of them blame themselves for not figuring it out.

“It’s only the courage of such people that men like you are brought before the courts.”

Sigley told pre-sentence report writers that he didn’t know why he did what he did and that he “never thought about it”.

“That’s my difficulty, how can you not think about what you did to a young girl late at night, and violating her in a sexual way?” Judge McDonald asked.

“How can you not think about all the other things you did?”

Judge McDonald said pre-sentence reports had correctly described him as “calculated, devious and predatory”.

Sigley was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment and will be automatically added to the child sex offender register.

SEXUAL HARM 

Where to get help: If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111. If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7: 
• Call 0800 044 334 
• Text 4334 
• Email [email protected] 
• For more info or to web chat visit safetotalk.nz 
Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list. 
If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it's not your fault. 

Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.