Allegations of Abuse in NZ
	peterellis Home / abuse allegations / Tea Ropati / Page 3 - Not Guilty Verdict	Tea Ropati - League Star accused of rape Not Guilty ”a case that should never have gone to trial” - Lawyer
	Three News January 30 2008; 14:08 Jury retires to consider Ropati verdicts NZPA Jurors in Auckland hearing six sex charges against former Kiwi rugby league player Tea Ropati retired today to consider their verdicts. The jury of seven men and five women retired at 1pm on the seventh day of the trial in Auckland District Court. Ropati, 42, has denied three charges of sexual violation, including one count of rape, and three charges of attempted sexual violation. The charges arose from incidents at a Ponsonby bar and at Victoria Park in the early hours of June 15, 2006, involving a 36-year-old woman. The Crown argued that Ropati took advantage of the woman, who was so intoxicated that she could not have consented to sexual activity with him. The defence denied that rape occurred because Ropati stopped short of having full sex with the woman as he felt guilty on account of his wife and that the sexual activity that did take place was consensual.