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Allegations
of Sexual Abuse in NZ |
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The complainant in a rape
trial endured a tough day in the witness box yesterday as the defence
launched an ambush on her credibility in Palmerston North District Court. The former partner of
Trevor Ernest Connolly - a 47-year-old joiner from Palmerston North - alleges
that on March 2003 he raped her and that between October 2002 and March 2003
he threatened to kill her. The woman, 37, gave
evidence on the first day of the trial that Connolly repeatedly came to her
house demanding things - including sex - after they broke up in August 2000,
following the birth of their son. She said he would also
take items from her house, using a key he had kept when they broke up. She
said he would ask to stay at the house in exchange for returning the items. She said Connolly had a
controlling presence, and she would feel "like a zombie" when he
asked her to do things, and give in. When on one occasion
Connolly allegedly threatened to kill her if she did not open the door and
let him into the house, she got a protection order against him. However, he continued
to visit the house, and she said she would let him in because she felt she
had no choice. She became pregnant to him and had an abortion in 2002. She told the court that
on March 9, 2003, Connolly asked to see her to talk about the protection
order. "He said he had
changed. He said ... `I'll prove it, I'll bring your stuff back.' He looked
sincere and I wanted to believe him." She said when he got to
the house he was nice at first, but began trying to kiss her. At one point she heard
her sick son make a noise and went to the bedroom to check on him. He
followed her. She said Connolly then
forced her on to the bed and began trying to lift up her nightgown. "I told him `no'
... and with that he pinned me down and put his head on me and pulled his
shorts down." The complainant sobbed
as she continued graphic testimony of the alleged rape. He then got up and left
the bedroom, taking a bottle of her perfume with him. She went to the police
some days later on the advice of a friend but could not go through with a
formal statement to police because she believed Connolly had a friend in the
CIB and her rape allegation would not be believed. Charges were laid against
Connolly in June last year, 15 months after the alleged incident. Connolly's defence
lawyer, Mike Antunovic, questioned the woman's version of events, calling the
rape allegations "a pack of lies". Mr Antunovic pointed to
inconsistencies between an affidavit sworn a month after the alleged rape and
her evidence earlier in the day, saying it was a sign she was lying. "I think when you
make things up you forget what you've earlier said." He said the woman's
claim that she did no go to the police to enforce her protection order
because she felt the police treated her as a joke was not consistent with her
calling the police on several occasions to report property allegedly stolen
by Connolly and to serve him with trespass notices. The woman tearfully
admitted to being conflicted over laying charges. "That's why it's
been so hard, because he's the father of my child and he did wrong. That's
why it (laying charges) has taken so long." She firmly denied lying
over the allegations. The trial is expected
to continue until tomorrow. |
