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Allegations
of Sexual Abuse |
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There were emotional
scenes in Wellington District Court on Friday, after a Judge threw out the
case of a teacher charged with rape. The 43-year-old man,
whose name has been permanently suppressed, was facing five charges including
two of raping a 7-year-old pupil 10 years ago. In a rare move, Judge
Bruce Davidson told the jury he was withdrawing the case from their
consideration, because it had become obvious to him that any guilty verdict
would be wrong given all the evidence. On Monday the
complainant, now a 17-year-old secondary school student, told the court
details of sexual assaults allegedly committed on her when she was taught by
the accused. She said the teacher
isolated her from the rest of the class and on one occasion he took her out
into a corridor and raped her. The girl also told the
court that a second rape occurred some time later in a back room adjoining
the classroom. |
