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Allegations of Abuse
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A jury of five men and seven women
has been chosen in the trial of a former Far North police officer facing
historical rape charges. The accused, who has name
suppression, denies eight charges, including four of rape relating to an
incident in the Far North in 1988. Before the jurors were selected,
they were given a stern warning from the judge who pointed to a series of
trials in New Zealand in the last couple of years surrounding allegations of
misconduct by police officers in the 1980s. Judge Michael Lance said even
though many people may have formed views about the police behaviour during
that time, the whole heart of the criminal justice system depends on the
impartiality of jurors. The jury has been told the trial
could run into next week.
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