Police acknowledge the sentence handed down to Stephen Easton in the Kaikohe District Court today.

Easton has been sentenced to 13-years imprisonment for 55 charges related to historic sexual offending against children.

Police acknowledge the victims and their families in this matter, and the ordeal they have been through.

While the man responsible for the offending has been sentenced, Police understand that no conviction will ever take back what has happened.

He was a well-known figure in his community for many years and in continual contact with children and young people.

Police would like to commend those who came forward to report the offending and who spoke at the trial.

We know it can be incredibly hard and at times distressing to report or talk about incidents of this nature, but we would like to reassure any victims of sexual offending we take these matters seriously.

We have a number of officers and detectives dedicated to these cases, and we will ensure you have a safe space to report offending in confidence.

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