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Allegations
of Sexual Abuse in NZ |
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The world of Internet
dating was given a public airing yesterday as a trial began in Wellington
District Court of a man accused of sexually violating a woman he met through
an online dating service. The 43-year-old man,
who has interim name suppression, is charged with three counts of sexual
violation by unlawful sexual connection. He met the complainant
through NZDating.com, an Internet dating website where both parties had set
up profiles. The alleged offences
happened at the woman's house in suburban Tawa, when the pair met face to
face for the first time. The crown case is that
the accused went to the woman's house and shortly after arriving, pushed her
down on a couch and sexually violated her in three different ways. The woman – a
professional in her 40s – had told the man she preferred to meet people in a
cafe or public place at first, but gave him her address after he repeatedly
assured her he could be trusted. She told the jury of
eight men and four women she became scared by the way the accused was looking
at her when he arrived. She said while sitting
next to her on the couch he asked her if she "was horny" and when
she said "no" he grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her
forcibly. She said he forced his
hands down her jeans and violated her with his fingers, used a finger for
anal penetration and performed oral sex on her. He also pushed her top and
bra up, breaking a necklace she was wearing, and squeezed her breasts
roughly. She said she was frozen
and shocked and did not resist for fear of provoking him. Near the beginning
of the incident she suggested they go to the bedroom, as she thought that may
give her a chance to escape downstairs or use the phone by her bed. She told him he was
hurting her, but he did not stop, she said. She later told him to
stop and to get out. He continued, but eventually stopped and left. She then phoned a
friend to say she had just had the worst experience of her life. The whole incident
lasted about 45 minutes, she said. "It seemed like an
eternity." The accused then
returned, saying he'd lost his wallet, pushed his way back into the house and
kissed her roughly again before leaving, she said. The following day she
laid a complaint with the police. In a police interview
the accused said he had gone to the woman's house but that he told her it was
just for sex and she was happy with that. In cross-examination
defence lawyer Mike Antunovic referred to e-mails between the man and woman
which discussed having "adult fun". She told Mr Antunovic
she had engaged in phone sex with the accused the day before, but had done so
reluctantly. She said she was trying to create a sense of fun and had not
actively taken part. Mr Antunovic suggested
she was a willing participant. In relation to the
events in her house the following day Mr Antunovic suggested she did not tell
the accused she wanted him to leave or stop until the very end. She agreed it was
towards the end, but said he carried on after she asked him to stop. Mr Antunovic suggested
that she knew before the accused came to her house that he was coming around
to have sex if they both liked the look of each other. "That was the deal
wasn't it?" She said she knew he
wanted to have sex with her, but that she had only said she would meet him
and that sex might be something that would evolve later, not at that first
meeting. The trial continues
tomorrow and is set down for three days |
