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Allegations of Abuse
in NZ |
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Tea Ropati - League Star accused
of rape |
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Newstalk ZB Name suppression has been lifted
for a former New Zealand rugby league international facing several sex
charges. Tea Ropati has pleaded not guilty
to six charges, including rape and unlawful sexual connection, at his trial
at the Auckland District Court. The judge has ruled the former
Kiwis and Warriors player has had sufficient time to distance himself from
the charitable trust he is the the face of. The charges against Ropati date
back to an incident in Auckland in June 2006, when he is accused of sexually
violating a woman at Ponsonby Rd bar The Whiskey, then in his car. In his opening address Crown
prosecutor Philip Hamlin said Ropati "danced and kissed his way"
through the night. He says Ropati then led a very drunk woman, who he did not
know, to a private back room of the bar, where he says some of the offending
took place. It is captured on security footage. |
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