Ben William Haggerty, 32, was sentenced in the Wellington District Court in New Zealand for a disturbing attack on a woman he met through a dating app, after drugging her, taking her to a secluded location, and sexually violating her while forcing her to reenact “nappy porn” he had shown her on his phone.
The victim told the court she feared for her life and has since suffered significant trauma, including depression, stress-related hair loss, and withdrawing from study. Judge Peter Hobbs acknowledged the woman’s extreme vulnerability, Haggerty’s planning—bringing items such as a nappy, dummy, and ligature—and the severe emotional harm caused, setting a starting sentence of 10 years for the sexual offending.
In addition to the assault, Haggerty was found with more than 40,000 images of objectionable material, largely child exploitation, leading to further charges. Judge Hobbs imposed a combined sentence of nine years and five months’ imprisonment for sexual violation, with an additional four years on the pornography charges to be served concurrently.
While the judge granted sentence reductions for Haggerty’s difficult personal background and guilty pleas, he declined to credit remorse, leaving the final release date to the Parole Board.
