Parole declined for repeat child sex offender David Keepa

David Wharara Keepa, 56, was declined parole in a hearing in Christchurch this month.
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF

David Wharara Keepa, 56, was declined parole in a hearing in Christchurch this month.

A repeat child sex offender who raped a 13-year-old girl has been denied parole.

David Wharara Keepa appeared before the Parole Board at a hearing at Christchurch Men's Prison on May 17.

The 56-year-old wanted a transfer to Rimutaka Prison in Wellington and eventually planned to move to supported accommodation. While the last board decision supported his transfer, there was no placement available until 2019.

In the Christchurch District Court in November 2013, Keepa was sentenced to 12 years' jail, with a minimum non-parole period of six years. At the time he was already in custody for four charges of sexual violation and three of indecency offending on a 13-year-old.

The latest offending happened when a family trusted Keepa to care for their daughter, who said she was seeing ghosts. The sickness beneficiary said he could help and moved into a bedroom opposite the teenager.

Instead of caring for her, he repeatedly raped and sexually violated the girl over six months, the court heard in 2009.

At the trial, the victim read her impact statement and said she had felt dirty and sick when Keepa started abusing her. She had post traumatic stress disorder and said she felt guilty and sick when she found out what Keepa had done to another girl and wished she had told someone earlier.

The board's decision, released on Monday, said Keepa had been in self-care for a lengthy period and was managing "very well" there. He was in a "trusted" role in the prison and had been given "excellent reports", it said.

The decision said Keepa was "anxious about returning to the community after so long in prison" and would need "a good deal of support when that occurs".

He had been assessed as having a moderate to low risk of sexual reoffending. The panel convenor said parole was declined primarily because Keepa had no address to go to.

His next appearance was scheduled for November.