|
|
Allegations of Sexual
Abuse in NZ |
|
Cromwell - A visiting French
winemaker has been accused of rape by a 21-year-old Cromwell woman who claims
he had sex with her after drugging her glass of wine. Detective Gary Hyndman said the
alleged rape occurred on the evening of May 16 when the woman and a friend
had met "a number of" Frenchmen while drinking at a Cromwell hotel
and returned with them to their motel room. The men, who worked as winemakers
in Blenheim, had been travelling around the South
Island, he said. The woman told police she noticed
some "crystals" at the bottom of her wine glass before she had
passed out and awoke to find one of the men on top of her having sex. The men then asked the women to
leave the motel early as they had not paid for them to be in the motel, she
told police. The woman reported the incident
about 5.30pm on May 17, Mr Hyndham
said. Police were now waiting for the
results of a toxicology test on the woman's blood, so they could determine
whether she had been drugged, he said. Although the Frenchmen had been
allowed to leave the area, police knew how to contact them if the results
were positive, Mr Hyndman said. Local winemakers had indicated it
was possible for crystals to form naturally in local wines, he said. |
