One of Hawke's Bay's top offenders has been put behind bars indefinitely for a mass of charges, including sexually violating a male accomplice after a botched burglary.

Alister James Reid, 47, known as "Booga", was a serving prisoner when he went on trial in July this year for raping a friend after the pair failed to burgle a property in November 2013.

A jury found him guilty of sexual violation.

Justice Simon France yesterday sentenced him on this charge, and many others, in the High Court in Napier yesterday.

The previous month another jury had found him guilty of a number of charges including rape, administering and supplying methamphetamine, wilfully ill-treating a child and injuring with intent.

Crown prosecutor Jo Rielly said a combination of factors had made it "abundantly clear" Reid posed a significant and ongoing risk to the safety of the community.

"Mr Reid's denials, his lack of remorse, his expressions of entitlement and the absence of any desire by him or intent to reform or refrain from meth use and a criminal lifestyle are concerning."

The impact on each of the victims in the two cases had been "profound" and preventive detention was an appropriate sentence, she said.

Reid's defence lawyer Scott Jefferson said his client still maintained his innocence and accepted there would be a lengthy minimum term of imprisonment imposed.

He said drug treatment could "ignite a spark" in his client and help address his behaviour issues.

Justice France sentenced Reid to preventive detention with a minimum non-parole period of six years.

The Judge said Reid seemed to think he was in control of methamphetamine, rather than it controlling him.

He said the appropriate fixed term of imprisonment would be 16 years, but added the Napier man was a high risk for re-offending after being released.

The court heard Reid had effectively been in jail since 2000, but continued to offend in brief periods of freedom.

Before 2005 he was twice jailed for drug offending and in August that year he roped a boy into helping him rob a firearms collector.

The following year he tied up a Napier gun collector and told him he was "dead" if he didn't help him unlock his collection of firearms.

For this knifepoint robbery Reid was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of five years.

Yesterday Justice France said Rein's offending had escalated from serious drug offences and burglary, and the motivation for raping a male associate was "concerning".

"Cause and effect is sometimes difficult to establish but you should have no doubt, Mr Reid, that your actions towards these people were terrible and have greatly affected their lives for the worst."

Justice France described the impact Reid's crimes had on the victims as "completely damaging" and said he had taken up little therapeutic intervention offered to him over the many years he had already spent in jail.

Reid's prospects of reforming were "realistically non-existent", he said.