The frightened woman, with her toddler in a cot nearby, reacted quickly by punching the intruder in the stomach and demanding that he leave immediately.
Karome Rewa, 18, dropped the knife he was holding and fled from the scene.
This unsettling incident, where the woman and Rewa were strangers, was described as “disturbing” by a Crown prosecutor in the New Plymouth District Court.
During the early hours of January 15 this year, the teenager entered the Taranaki property through an unlocked backdoor around 3am.
He stole a PlayStation from the woman’s living room and a knife from her kitchen before leaving. CCTV footage captured Rewa walking with a “white box” shortly after leaving the property.
However, he returned to the woman’s house 25 minutes later with the stolen knife and entered her bedroom.
There, Rewa exposed himself and began masturbating.
Judge Gregory Hikaka noted that Rewa was standing only “30 to 40cm” away from the woman during the incident.
According to the victim impact statement, she was deeply affected by the intrusion and had sought counseling for support.
The woman described how her child, who was asleep in the cot beside her bed, woke up to her mother screaming at the intruder to leave.
Her main concern was the impact on her child from the terrifying experience of hearing her mother speak in such a way.
It was revealed in court that this was not the only indecent behavior displayed by Rewa.
Just weeks before the aggravated burglary, he exposed himself to a worker cleaning a closed establishment at 6.40am on December 13.
Despite being ignored by the worker, Rewa proceeded to pull down his pants and masturbate in front of her.
The worker was alarmed and disgusted, prompting her to call the police. Rewa fled the scene, but his actions were captured on CCTV footage. When questioned by the police later, he blamed a “demon” for his behavior.
Having been in custody for the past 10 months, Rewa faced charges of burglary with a weapon and two counts of indecent exposure related to the two incidents.
During the court proceedings, Rewa appeared remorseful, with his head hung low and arms resting on the dock’s glass panel.
His defense lawyer, Mark Utting, highlighted Rewa’s limited decision-making skills and intellectual capabilities, suggesting that certain issues needed to be addressed.
Utting emphasized that Rewa should be credited for his guilty pleas and receive a 35% discount for his youth, background, mental health challenges, and genuine remorse.
Despite the defense’s arguments, Crown prosecutor Rebekah Hicklin disputed Rewa’s level of remorse, pointing out his reluctance to engage with available support services.
She recommended a higher starting point for sentencing, capping any discounts for youth and background at 20%.
Judge Hikaka, considering Rewa’s moderate risk of reoffending and causing harm to others, imposed a four-year sentence for the aggravated burglary with an additional six months for the indecent acts.
He noted the depraved nature of the home invasion, the vulnerability of the victim, and the significant harm caused.
Despite his age, Rewa was deemed suitable for imprisonment due to the severity of his actions. However, the judge acknowledged discounts for his youth and background, resulting in a final sentence of two years’ imprisonment with the possibility of home detention.
While acknowledging Rewa’s guilty pleas, the judge urged him to accept available support and work towards rehabilitation.
