A former "vice-president" and well-known local of the country's only self-declared republic has been revealed as a sex offender

Open Justice reports Whangamomona's Bryan Ramage sexually and indecently abused three young teens around two decades ago.

That included the repeated rape of a 13-year-old, who now describes him as a predator and a deeply disturbed individual who caused her irreversible damage.

The now 69-year-old appeared in the New Plymouth District Court this week, and was sentenced to seven years jail.