By Shannon Pitman, Open Justice reporter WARNING: This article discusses sexual abuse and may be upsetting to some readers. A man who once raped a teenage hitchhiker and more recently owned a pack of starving dogs that killed someone has now been convicted for sexually abusing a child. It is the latest in a string of offences for Far North man Abel Wira who was recently jailed for the manslaughter of Panguru man Neville Thomson after that fatal dog mauling. It was the first time anyone in New Zealand has been charged with manslaughter as the owner of dogs who attacked a person resulting in death. Mauled to death In 2022, Wira came to house-sit Thomson's home in Panguru while his landlord was in the South Island and brought with him 23 dogs: six adults and 17 puppies. When Thomson returned, Wira stayed on with his pets, which he kept confined in a caravan, sometimes unfed for days. On the morning of August 4, 2022, Wira was out running errands while Thomson was home on the phone to his partner.…