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Neville Collins A sleeping disorder will play a
crucial part in the defence of a former Auckland camp leader accused of sex
crimes against boys, a court has heard. Neville Cyril Collins is standing
trial on 37 charges of sexual offending and assault against six boys between
1984 and 1998. The High Court at Rotorua heard
yesterday that the 44-year-old married father of two suffers from a sleeping
disorder that involves thrashing, sleep-walking and holding complete
conversations in his sleep. Collins is denying the abuse,
including allegations of sodomy and sexual violation, and in opening the
defence case his lawyer, Matthew Ward-Johnson, said evidence would be called
about the sleeping disorder. "You may find it comical but
it is a very important part of this trial," Mr Ward-Johnson told the
jury. Collins allegedly abused four boys
while a leader at a Boys' Brigade camp at Piha and a training camp called
Exercise Novice Warrior at Waiouru. He befriended the other two
complainants and their parents when working as a security guard and at St
John. All the alleged offending began
when the boys were aged between 11 and 13 and, in many instances, were
sleeping next to Collins. Five of the complainants, all of
whom are now adults, recall his making the sleeping arrangements. The incidents allegedly happened
at locations around the North Island, including on camps, in cars and at
houses where Collins lived. The Crown is arguing Collins
groomed the boys for "homosexual paedophilic behaviour", exploiting
shared interests in the outdoors and his position as a camp leader. Collins took the stand in his own
defence yesterday, but Justice Pamela Andrews would not allow him to give
evidence about the sleeping disorder after objections from Crown prosecutor
Rob Ronayne. Instead, Collins will call experts
and his wife to provide testimony on the disorder today. However, under cross-examination,
he claimed to suffer from a disorder that involved moving and holding
conversations in his sleep, saying two of the complainants and others had
made him aware of it. "[They] just turn round and
say, 'We give you a nudge and you shut up and roll over'," he said. Mr Ronayne responded by asking
Collins if he had ever driven a car or sexually assaulted his wife while
asleep. Collins replied no. He claimed all six complainants,
including two who wept when they gave evidence last week, were lying about
the abuse. "My case is that they've
blown things out of proportion," he said. "There's no way I would
partake in such filth or disgust." He said mothers of two of the
alleged victims who also testified had not lied but simply listened to their
children. In relation to allegations that he
assaulted two of the boys by giving them "dead legs" and placing
hot spoons on their arms and necks, he said it was "a playful thing, no
harm meant, that we would do". The trial is expected to end
tomorrow. NEVILLE CYRIL COLLINS * Former Boys' Brigade leader and
St John ambulance officer * Denies abusing six boys over a
14-year period * Faces 25 charges of indecent
assault, six charges of sexual violation, three of assault, two of attempted
indecent assault, and one of performing an indecent act * Plans to call evidence of a
sleeping disorder from which he says he suffers.
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