Malcolm Rewa: Serial Rapist Admits to Another Sexual Attack

Serial Rapist Malcolm Rewa Admits to Another Historical Sexual Assault

Malcolm Rewa, a serial rapist already serving a life sentence for the 1992 murder of Susan Burdett and multiple sexual offenses, has pleaded guilty to sexually attacking another woman in 1988. The guilty plea was entered at the High Court in Auckland on Wednesday, February 4, 2026.

Rewa admitted to one charge of sexual violation by rape, stemming from an incident that occurred on June 18, 1988, in Onehunga, Auckland. He is currently serving a life sentence after being found guilty of Burdett’s murder in 2019, and was already serving a sentence of preventive detention with a minimum non-parole period of 22 years for prior convictions of sexual attacks on 25 women.

The case was reopened in May of last year when the complainant contacted police to review the historical assault. An initial investigation took place around the time of the 1988 incident, but detectives were unable to identify the perpetrator at that time. The case was then assigned to the Auckland City Adult Sexual Assault Team.

Detective Inspector Scott Beard confirmed that police had charged a 72-year-old man – later identified as Rewa – in connection with the assault. Beard noted that there is no statute of limitations on this type of offending, allowing the case to be pursued decades later.

Rewa’s lawyer, Mark Jepson, informed the court that his client did not seek continued name suppression. Rewa is scheduled to be sentenced on April 17, 2026.

This guilty plea comes after Rewa’s failed attempt to overturn his conviction for Burdett’s murder. The Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal in January 2023, where his lawyers argued his original trial lawyer, Paul Chambers, was “incompetent.” He also unsuccessfully appealed to the Supreme Court, which dismissed his bid in May 2024, finding no risk of a miscarriage of justice.

The case is notable due to the wrongful conviction of Teina Pora for Burdett’s rape and murder. Pora was initially convicted in 1994, then again at a retrial in 2000, but his convictions were ultimately quashed by the Privy Council in 2015.