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Allegations of Sexual
Abuse in NZ |
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A Napier hairdresser who claimed
champion jockey Michael Walker raped her has been convicted of making a false
complaint and sentenced to 100 hours' community work. Elinor Rita Webby, 21, pleaded
guilty when she appeared in Napier District Court yesterday. Early on
September 22 she claimed she had been raped and seven police set about
investigating the case, Sergeant Fred van Duuren told the court. It soon became apparent to police
that her story had been made up. Webby was sentenced to 100 hours'
community work by Judge Bruce Davidson. Walker, 22, was reportedly one of
a group of men drinking at Turk's Bar and Casino in Havelock North the night
before Webby made her allegation. Walker has a fiancee and a young
child. He was racing in Auckland
yesterday and was unaware of the guilty plea and sentence till contacted by
The Dominion Post. He declined to comment, saying he wanted to discuss the
case with police first. Regarded as one of the most gifted
riders New Zealand has produced, Walker became the country's top jockey at
the age of 16 – in his first season of riding – and rode more than 700
winners during his apprenticeship. This is not the first time his
name has been linked to controversy. Walker moved to Australia in May 2004,
but after a successful start and a win in the Brisbane Cup the following
month, his form dipped. Thirteen months later, after a spell in Singapore, he
wrote off his Mercedes-Benz after a drunken bender, and a month later went on
television to talk about his off-track exploits in Australia, which included
taking cocaine, drinking too much alcohol, and how the crash had resulted in
him turning his life around. Contracted to Matamata trainer
Mark Walker, he has said he plans to make a fresh start, and credited his
fiancee, Candace Smith, for her support. |
