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Allegations of Abuse
in NZ |
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Tea Ropati - League Star accused
of rape |
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NZ Herald The woman at the centre of the
allegations against Tea Ropati was not in court when the jury came back
yesterday, but wept when she heard of the six not-guilty verdicts. The woman - who cannot be named
for legal reasons - was shocked by the news. "While I'm devastated by the
verdicts 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." The past 18 months had been the
most challenging of her life but she got through them with the unwavering
support of her family, friends, employer and police, she said. The officer in charge of the case,
Detective Nicolas Poore of the adult sexual assault team, told the Herald the
woman was upset but philosophical. "She's very emotional ... but happy
with the prosecution team. We put the case forward as best we could." Mr Poore said police knew it would
be a difficult case to prove but believed there was sufficient evidence to
warrant a trial. "It wasn't the result we
hoped for. It wasn't black and white and the issue of consent was
important," he said. "But the jury have made their
decision and that's what the system is." |
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