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Allegations of Sexual
Abuse in NZ |
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A woman charged with falsely
claiming she had been attacked and stabbed in Christchurch's Styx Mill
Reserve has withdrawn her not guilty plea and is seeking diversion. The diversion scheme is available
only for first offenders and is decided on after discussions with police. If
it is granted, the offender does not get a conviction. Police spent hundreds of hours
searching for a man the woman said had attacked her while she was jogging in
the reserve on May 19. Police called for the help of
residents and park users to try to locate the "dangerous" man. The woman received multiple stab
wounds to her abdomen and hands as she fought off her attacker, the police
believed at the time. The woman appeared in court last
week seeking diversion, but Judge Oke Blaikie indicated he wanted the process
to be transparent, rather than carried out in closed discussions with the
police. He sent it to a status hearing
next month, but said her not guilty pleas did not rule out diversion being
granted. The 47-year-old woman stood
shaking in the dock again today when she made an unexpected appearance in
court with a different lawyer. Michael Knowles sought permission
to vacate the not guilty plea and asked for a remand to August 14 for
diversion to be considered. Judge Murray Abbott granted that
and remanded her at large. He agreed with the previous
judge's assessment of the medical report given to the court last week, and
granted her interim name suppression. |
