Warning: This story deals with sexual abuse. 

A Rotorua man who wanted more than casual sex from a woman made a sexually explicit video of her while she slept then threatened to kill her and throw her body in a hot pool.  

David Wiari Wehi, 50, has admitted three charges relating to offending against the woman.  

He has appeared in the Rotorua District Court and pleaded guilty to charges of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, threatening to kill and making an intimate visual recording. 

A police summary of facts revealing details of the case has been released to the Rotorua Daily Post ahead of his sentencing next month. 

The summary said the man and woman began having an intimate relationship. 

After a few months, he indicated he wanted more from the woman and became “possessive and persistent”, the summary said. 

But the woman remained steadfast and was always clear about boundaries. 

The summary said on one occasion, the man used his mobile phone and indicated he was going to record her sexually but she made it clear she was not “into that” and she didn’t consent to him making any intimate visual recordings. 

They didn’t see each other again for about two months and when they did, he became more possessive and angry because he wanted more from their relationship, the summary said. 

During this period, the man sent the woman 270 text messages, most of them abusive. The woman blocked the man’s number but unblocked him a few weeks later. 

She ran into him again that month and stayed the night. They met up again the following night and the man stayed at the woman’s house. 

The summary said the woman remembered going to bed wearing her nightie and underwear and going straight to sleep, without engaging in sexual contact with the man. 

In the morning, she woke with no underwear on and noticed her blanket was on the floor and she was only covered by a sheet. She didn’t think too much of it at the time. The man was not present when she woke as he had left earlier. 

Man becomes possessive and angry 

In the following week, the man began messaging the woman again in an abusive and possessive way but this time the messages became threatening, the summary said. 

The woman received two videos and three photographs from his number. One video showed her being sexually violated while she slept. 

She recognised her body and bedding in the video and could hear herself snoring. 

The summary said the woman had no knowledge of what happened and did not consent to it happening or to it being videoed. 

Threatening messages from the man included that he was going to send the video to her friends and make a Facebook page to put it on so everyone could see, the summary said. 

The summary said the threatening messages to the woman’s phone continued and became concerning. 

They included the man saying he would kill her and throw her into a hot pool or burn down her house. 

The woman blocked the man’s number and reported what happened to police. 

At the time the summary of facts was written, police analysis of the man’s phone was continuing. 

He will be sentenced on July 26. The most serious of his charges is sexual violation, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. The maximum for threatening to kill is seven years jail and three years for making an intimate visual recording. 

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. 

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.