Actor Rene Naufahu arriving at court with his lawyer Ron Mansfield the day he pleaded guilty. Photo / Nick Reed

Actor Rene Naufahu arriving at court with his lawyer Ron Mansfield the day he pleaded guilty. (Photo / Nick Reed)

After he pleaded guilty one of Naufahu's victims spoke to the Herald.

She said he left her "vulnerable to his gross abuse of power and ongoing [indecent] assault".

"He would repeatedly tell me I was receiving special treatment and coaching as someone he had selected with significant acting talent," she said.

The court heard that Naufahu would perform "let me in, let me out" and "push me, pull me" exercises with the actresses in an effort to "express their emotions".

The victim told the Herald Naufahu first assaulted her during one of these exercises.

"He used his 'pull' motion to kiss me on the mouth, after which I pushed him away and asked him what he was doing.

"The response was that this was a common acting coaching technique used to build confidence and help students in 'the real world of acting'."

During one of the classes, Naufahu's "kissing became more passionate and the touching became more invasive".

The victim said Naufahu said she "was a huge acting talent and was going to 'go places'".

Naufahu called her the next "New Zealand Charlize Theron", she said.

She said Naufahu's long-term "abuse and betrayal" has had a significant and lasting impression on her life.

"It takes a long time to accept yourself as a victim of abuse, and even longer to process the mental and emotional impacts on areas that you would never really imagine before going through something like this."

Rene Naufahu listens to Crown prosecutor Kirsten Lummis as she gives her submissions to the court. Photo / Greg Bowker

Rene Naufahu listens to Crown prosecutor Kirsten Lummis as she gives her submissions to the court. (Photo / Greg Bowker)

Naufahu's apology and the poem

After he pleaded guilty Naufahu released a statement about his offending.

"I accept now that I made errors and crossed boundaries that should not have been crossed," he said.

"I am pleased this case has resolved as this period in my life has been very hard for me and my family. There has been a lot to confront and resolve. We have done that. I am sure it has also been hard for those students who became involved on both sides.

"I hope that by acknowledging the accepted inappropriate conduct, this now stops and everyone can move on."

Naufahu also came under fire when a video surfaced on Facebook of him performing a poem that seemingly referred to the allegations against him.

Part of the poem, read to a group of people, stated: "They tried to stop my destiny, thought they had seen the best of me, from the day the cops arrested me, even saw my kin detested me."

Naufahu continued: "Abandoned by hypocrisy, once close ties now lost to me, hatred fuelled by jealousy, gossip spread maliciously.

"My name became like leprosy, Jesus Christ what's next for me? Haters north, south, east and west of me. Driven to the flame, hoes requested me.

"Giving into the shame would've been the death of me."