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Allegations of Sexual
Abuse in NZ |
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A 30-year-old Timaru man has been
charged with assault and intent to rape a woman on the Benvenue walkway
two-and-a-half years ago. Detective Kevin Byrnes of the
Timaru CIB said the man was arrested on Monday after new information came to
light. The man was charged with the assault which occurred in the early
morning of Saturday, November 8, 2003. The unemployed man entered no plea
when he appeared in the Timaru District Court on Monday, and was remanded to
appear again on June 27. The complainant, a woman in her
30s, had been walking north around the Benvenue walkway about 5.40-5.55am
when she came across a man at the southern end of the track. The pair had
exchanged pleasantries and walked towards the brow of the hill before the
tone of his conversation changed, and the assault took place. Mr Byrnes said a large police team
had worked on the case at the time. It had also been featured on the TV
programme Police Ten 7. The victim was very pleased to
learn of this week's arrest, Mr Byrnes said. The arrest leaves local police
with no unsolved rape or serious sexual assault complaints. A woman has recently been warned
for making a false statement to police in relation to a rape complaint in
January 2005. The woman had told police she was
abducted at knife point from outside a Timaru bar, taken to Caroline Bay, and
raped. "As a result of police
inquiries we have established the incident at Caroline Bay did not occur as
alleged," Timaru CIB head detective Sergeant Marion Neill said. |
