Rugby coach who committed sex offences against 17 boys over nearly 30 years sentenced to 22 years in prison

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One of New Zealand’s worst sex offenders, rugby coach Alosio Taimo, 56, has been sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Taimo was today found guilty of 95 charges against 17 boys. His offending spanned over nearly 30 years.

The Auckland rugby coach and teacher aid's youngest victim was just nine years old at the time.

In the High court in Auckland this morning Justice Simon Moore said Taimo’s offending was unprecedented in this country and the sheer scale of it was extraordinary.

He said the victims' parents saw Taimo, a father of three, as a mentor and leader and trusted him unconditionally.

Justice Moore said he used Samoan cultural norms to promote a code of silence.

He said whatever sentence he gave Taimo would never be an answer for the incalculable impact on the 17 victims whose lives had been devastated. He said they had shown great courage during the trial.

"You drove some of them to the brink of suicide ... alcohol and drug abuse ... these are just some of the chronic affects of your abuse."

During the sentencing Taimo was unemotional. He will not be eligible for parole for ten years.

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