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Serial sex offender Shannan Taylor sentenced in Whanganui to 22 years in prison

WARNING: This story details sexual assaults and may be distressing for some readers. Shannan Taylor raped a woman while she was recovering from giving birth, her newborn within reach. The woman resisted but the attack was part of a pattern of sexual abuse against her. Less than a fortnight earlier, Taylor had raped another woman. But his sexual offending stretched back even further than that. Taylor is already serving a prison sentence for sexually abusing children and young people. Now, he has been sentenced for raping the women, bringing his total amount of time behind bars to 22 years. The sentencing took place in the High Court at Whanganui after Taylor was found guilty at trial on three charges of rape, one of which was representative, one charge of attempted sexual violation by unlawful connection and one count of assault. Raped days after giving birth At the recent hearing, Justice Christine Grice said Taylor repeatedly raped one of the women over a period of time. The final time it happened was in the days after she had given birth. Taylor visited while she was in bed recovering, having just fed her newborn, who slept beside her. He sexually violated the woman and when she resisted, he twisted her arm behind her back and pinned her down. Taylor then raped her, as she told him “no” and stressed her baby was next to her. Shannan Joseph Taylor was sentenced in the High Court at Whanganui. Photo / Bevan Conley She suffered split stitches and heavy bleeding, leading to an infection. When she later challenged Taylor about the rape and told him she thought her infection might have been caused by it, he laughed and told her that “she liked it”. Less than a fortnight earlier, Taylor had raped the second woman. She had put him up for the night when he needed accommodation and the two drank wine together. At one point, she ended up face down on the ground and Taylor carried her into the bedroom. “She has a fragmented memory and only recalls drinking one bottle of wine but does not know what happened in the rest of the evening,” Justice Grice said. “What is clear, and what was accepted by the jury, is that you raped her at this point.” Lives reshaped by trauma The primary victim told the court the abuse had profoundly changed her. “What you did did not end on the day of the offending. The effects of it continue to follow me every single day,” she said in her victim impact statement. She now lives with post-traumatic stress disorder and severe social anxiety, which she said affected every part of her life. “I struggle to sleep, my physical health has suffered, and there are days when even basic tasks feel overwhelming.” She said panic attacks and hypervigilance were constant reminders of the trauma. “I no longer move through life with confidence and ease. I carry fear with me everywhere. The emotional toll has been exhausting and relentless. Justice Christine Grice says Shannan Joseph Taylor's history shows a "serious and persistent pattern of sexual offending". Photo / Bevan Conley “I have had to rebuild my life from the ground up, slowly and painfully, while carrying trauma that never truly leaves.” The second victim described herself as a confident, motivated, independent and joyful woman before the rape. “After the rape, that version of me disappeared.” She told the court her mental health deteriorated, daily life became difficult, and she experienced overwhelming anxiety and exhaustion. Being in her home, where the rape occurred, had become unbearable, she said. Her alcohol use escalated “dramatically” as she tried to “numb the pain”, and her relationships also suffered. “It has dismantled a stable and independent life and replaced it with fear, isolation and ongoing trauma.” No regret or insight At the time Taylor, now in his mid-40s, offended against the women, he was already facing prosecution for multiple sexual offences against several other victims. . For the earlier offending, he was sentenced to 16 years’ impr...