William Katipa, 52, raped three men while in prison in New Zealand. He was in prison after being found guilty in 2002 of raping a 13-year-old girl
A convicted rapist was able to prey on fellow prisoners after an alert banning him from sharing a cell was turned off by staff.
William Katipa, 52, raped three men while in prison in New Zealand. Two of the men were in their 20s, one was a teenager.
Katipa was in prison after being found guilty in 2002 of raping a 13-year-old girl. It was later discovered through DNA testing that he was guilty of raping a 19-year-old woman in 1994.
A New Zealand Herald investigation revealed that the alert banning Katipa from sharing a cell had been deactivated in 2014, allowing him access to two of his victims.
It was in that 2009 Kapita was banned from sharing a cell.
The Department of Corrections had a record of a complaint from one of his cellmates in 2006.
A police inquiry was launched when his cellmate alleged he was raped by Kapita.
Katipa was at Waikeria Prison. He was sharing a cell with a 27-year-old man serving time for a range of property offences.
Katipa told the man to join him on the bottom bunk and threatened to kill him if he did not.
The cellmate was then raped after Katipa blocked the peephole used by the guards.

Following a risk assessment an alert was placed on Katipa’s file, banning him from sharing a cell. The alert was deleted in 2014
The cellmate later went to the guards sobbing.
Despite police recovering semen from the man’s boxer shorts and DNA from the victim’s face and neck, no charge was laid.
A risk assessment tool was introduced in 2009.
Following an assessment an alert was placed on Katipa’s file, banning him from sharing a cell.
But the alert was removed by staff in 2014.
His next victim was in 2015. He was locked up with a 24-year-old who was serving time for a violent dairy robbery at the Auckland South Correctional Facility.
The young man was beaten unconscious and raped after refusing to perform a sex act on him. He woke up during the rape and attempted to flee to the top bunk.
His third prison victim was a 19-year-old. It is alleged to have happened in late 2016.
The teenager was in prison aggravated robbery and possession of a knife.
He was threatened and made to perform sex acts. He was transferred to a different cell and reported it to police.
Katipa was sentenced on five counts of sexual violation, four of indecent assault, three of threatening to kill, a charge of attempted sexual violation and a charge of assault with intent to injure this year in relation to the prison rapes.
Two of the men have received compensation from Corrections, while the third is yet to be settled.
Katipa shared with 50 inmates others during his time in prison.
A review of the double bunking later took place. It found Katipa’s attacks were a result of ‘staff performance failure’ rather than the double-bunking system, information obtained under the Official Information Act said.