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Allegations of Abuse
in NZ |
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Tea Ropati - League Star accused
of rape |
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One News Emotions erupted in an Auckland
court on Thursday afternoon as a jury cleared former rugby league star Tea
Ropati of rape. He was acquitted on six charges of
raping and sexually violating a 36-year-old woman at a bar in the Auckland
suburb of Ponsonby and in his car in June 2006. The jury delivered its verdict on the
eighth day of the Auckland District Court trial after nearly 12 hours of
deliberation. There were victorious shouts in
the court and abuse yelled at police and the whole legal system by Ropati's
friends and family as Ropati was found not guilty on all six charges,
including one of rape. The judge ordered one man out,
believed to be Ropati's brother Peter, and apologised to the jury, one of
whom was in tears. Outside court, Ropati with his
wife Vanessa beside him, made a brief statement. "I just want to thank my
family and all my friends. Without them I wouldn't have been able to cope
through all of this. I'm just pretty relieved it's all over. Thanks," he
said. At the heart of this case was
consent - whether the complainant, who had been drinking heavily, had been
asleep or unconscious, or had just "blacked out". In a written statement through his
lawyer, Ropati said he had his own alcohol problem. "I know that I have ongoing
issues to address to do with alcohol. On New Year's Day I was also charged
with driving my vehicle under the influence and will return to court this
Friday," said Gary Gotlieb, defence lawyer, on behalf of Ropati. For her part, the complainant has
issued a written statement. "While I am devastated by the
verdict, I have no regrets about coming forward and would still encourage any
woman who endures this type of experience to do so. This is the only way we
can make sure that our society remains safe for women," she said in the
statement. The case has taken 18 months to
come to trial. For almost all that time, Ropati had the protection of name
suppression, though the charges against the former Kiwis and Warriors star
were an open secret in some circles. The police defend their decision
to take the case and say this verdict should not put women off. "We'd like to reassure the
public that any complaint that comes to us we will investigate. And each case
is different and the circumstances are different and whether alcohol is
involved or not we will investigate complaints of rape," said Detective
Senior Sergeant Scott Beard of Auckland police. Ropati and his family have
requested privacy now and say he is uncertain as to what the future holds. |
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