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peterellis Home / abuse allegations / Peter Stewart Peter Stewart - News Reports - Page 2 |
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NZ Herald The victim of jailed convicted rapist Peter Stewart - a member of one of New Zealand's most revered business families - says she would have settled for an apology had he offered one. The woman has spoken exclusively of her ''huge relief'' over last week's decision by the Court of Appeal to dismiss Stewart's bid to have seven sex convictions overturned. “There has been lots of tears, stress and worry. Now it's time for me to be happy and get on with life,'' said the woman, who cannot be identified. The four-month wait for the appeal process seemed to last forever, she said. ''It's been hard and a long process. Harder than I thought to be able to voice it and also tell my family what had happened to me when I was a child. It was particularly hard for my mother and possibly caused her recent stroke.'' She said there had been a lot of “interference'' from people in the background. ''All I really wanted initially was an open acknowledgment and apology from Peter for all the things he had done for me. Just to clear the air and stop all the rumours.'' Stewart, 62, is the son of the late Sir Robertson Stewart, the revered plastics and electrical industrialist. Earlier this year he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for the rape, sodomy and sexual violation of the woman between 1967 and 1974, when she was a young girl. Stewart is also the husband of of NZ Fashion Week boss Pieter Stewart, who told the Herald on Sunday last week she was disappointed with the Court of Appeal's finding. ''We will continue to fight for Peter's innocence,'' she said. Stewart has maintained his innocence throughout the saga, admitting that he had consensual sex with the woman only once, when she was aged 17. However, the courts found he raped the girl when she was 14, at his house and while he was meant to be taking her for medical treatment for a broken ankle. He was found guilty of one rape charge, five indecency charges and one count of sodomy. The victim said her emotional pain had lessened with the court decision. ''I just feel sorry for him, to be honest. It really is a shame that he has not been honest with himself and to his family. “Maybe he can't face up to speak up, or he didn't even think he had done the wrong thing.'' The saga has shattered the victim's family - some of her siblings no longer talk to her, her marriage collapsed, and her children had also been affected. Through it all, her children and her mother had stood by her. The woman said she was finding ways to move forward, including pottery and art. She encouraged other victims of sexual abuse to open up to police or rape crisis counsellors. “Once you have done it, you will feel so much better.'' |
