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Allegations
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NZ Herald A 21-year-old woman with a mental age of about 10 was befriended then repeatedly raped by her 50-year-old sailing instructor, the Auckland District Court heard yesterday. Mark Pearson had a boat moored in a bay near where the woman lived. Through his work as a sailing instructor and involvement in a community gardening project, Pearson allegedly met and formed a relationship with the woman during 2006. Pearson faces eight counts of sexual offending, including three allegations of rape. He denies the charges. His lawyer, Howard Lawry, says no sexual interaction occurred. Prosecutors say the relationship escalated to the point where the woman developed a crush on Pearson. When the woman - whose identity is suppressed - had a falling out with her mother, it was Pearson's one-bedroom flat, which he shared with his girlfriend, that she went to. The woman was to sleep on the couch, but almost daily, when Pearson's girlfriend was not home, Pearson would ask the woman into his bedroom, the Crown alleged. The location of the alleged offending is also suppressed. He would allegedly tell her to take off her clothes before touching and kissing her, then raping her, the Crown said. The abuse, also occurring on Pearson's couch and on his boat, continued for about two months, during which time the woman was told not to tell anybody what was happening. At one point Pearson allegedly made the woman stay up all night while he had a gun behind his bed, the Crown alleged. She was told if her parents called around he would shoot them. A series of psychological tests done after the alleged assaults showed the woman had an IQ of about 60, the court heard. IQ scores of the general population usually range between 85 and 115. Her communication skills were equivalent to those of an 8-year-old. Her processing speed was described as being lower than 999 of every 1000 people and her sexual knowledge was poor. Crown prosecutor Nick Flanagan said the woman was not intellectually capable of giving Pearson her informed consent. Mr Lawry said although many of the woman's intellectual skills were very low, her age meant her life experience and perceptions were far more advanced than those of an 8-year-old. The woman is to give evidence via closed-circuit television today. |
