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Allegations of Abuse
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Former Northland policeman Tim
Ogle said charges which had haunted him for 16 years had been ended with a not
guilty verdict handed to him last night on historic sex charges. An Auckland District Court jury of
seven women and five men took almost five hours to clear Ogle, 44, of seven
charges including four of sexual violation and assault. A 63-year-old woman, whose name is
suppressed, claimed she was handcuffed and raped by Ogle in March 1988. Name suppression on Ogle was
lifted at his request after he said his name had already been published on
the internet. Tears broke out among a group of
about 15 people in the court who were supporting Ogle when the verdicts were
read. Ogle told media outside the court
he was delighted with the verdict. "I've always said I never
raped her and the jury showed that that is the case," he said. "This has been very hard on
my wife, my children and my 82-year-old mother. It's had a terrible impact on
all of us but justice has been done. "This has haunted me for 16
years. There has been so many slanders and allegations against me. I'm just
looking forward to spending some time with my wife." Ogle's lawyer Gary Gotlieb said
the verdict ended two years of hard work. "In the end the jury was
given their task to do, they found him not guilty and I was not in any doubt
that it was the right verdict." Mr Gotlieb had been in the middle
of arguing for permanent name suppression for his client until Ogle got his
attention from the back of the court and said he would not fight his name
being made public as it was already on the Internet. Mr Gotlieb said his decision
"means that he can say in public that there has been an acquittal".
Prosecuting lawyer Glen Marshall
was not available for comment on the verdict. Judge Michael Lance praised the
jury for its work on the case, a task he said had been made more difficult by
the historic nature of the allegations. |
