‘Failed by the system’: Indecent assault victim hits out after offenders avoid conviction

WARNING: This article references indecent assault and suicide.

A Wellington man says his life has been destroyed by an indecent assault and what he sees as significant failings by the justice system. Mackenzie Skinner speaks to the Herald about the reality of being a male abuse survivor in Aotearoa.

Mackenzie Skinner has lost friends, family, his job, and left the only town he’s ever known. He says he has truly lost everything.

Before he was indecently assaulted, Skinner’s life was on the up. He had a start-up business, a new job, and people he thought were his friends.

Now he spends most days sitting alone in his apartment and says he’s lost count of the times he’s considered whether life is worth living.

How many times can someone ask for help before they give up?

Mackenzie Skinner

Two years ago Skinner was unconscious in the back of a car when he says a man filmed while a woman repeatedly tried to insert an object into his anus.

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