|
|
Allegations
of Sexual Abuse |
|
|
|
|
Wellington: A woman
allegedly pack-raped at Mt Maunganui 16 years ago did not report it because
she felt intimidated by her attackers, the High Court at Wellington was told
yesterday. The woman claims that
in January 1989, when she was 20, she was lured under false pretences to a
building where she was raped by five men. Four of those men are
now on trial after the woman - now 37 and married with three children - went
to police in March this year. The fifth man has never
been identified or charged. Court orders prevent
the identification of the accused - now aged between 40 and 53 - and their
past and present occupations. The four men each faces
charges of rape and abduction. Two are also charged with unlawful sexual
violation and one is also charged with a second count of rape and unlawful
sexual violation. The men have pleaded
not guilty to all charges. The trial, before
Justice Ronald Young and a jury of four men and eight women, is expected to
take up to three weeks. Crown prosecutor Brent
Stanaway told the jury the woman was employed by a Hamilton-based company at
Mt Maunganui in the summer of 1989 when she befriended three of the five men
through her work. She developed a
"light hearted rapport" with one of the men and "wanted to
find out more about him", Mr Stanaway told the jury. She asked his
associate if he would help set up a date with him. The associate agreed
and the following day arranged to meet her and take her to meet the man she
liked so the pair could have lunch together, he said. He took her to a
building in Mt Maunganui where she was surprised to find not just the man but
three others as well. Mr Stanaway said the
woman started to feel uncomfortable. When she noticed an old, stained
mattress had been placed on the floor she asked "What’s going on?".
Now fearful, the woman
was told to lay down. "She felt
powerless and believed she had no choice but to do what they said. She then
knew she was going to be raped." The men restrained her
and removed her clothes below the waist. They then took turns
raping her. One of the men forced
her to perform oral sex and penetrated her roughly with an object up to 20
times. Details of the object are suppressed. Another man penetrated her with
his fingers. The woman had not gone
to police at the time because she thought no-one would believe her word
against that of the five men. Two of the men visited
her at work the day following the alleged rape, he said. One man had also
visited her at her motel on two occasions following the incident. "He was attempting
to cover his tracks by being brazen and intimidating. His tactics had the
desired effect." In their opening
addresses, lawyers for the accused said all four men admitted having sex with
the woman but believe it was consensual group sex and denied the woman was
restrained. Defence lawyer Tony
Balme told the jury the woman would be exposed as having "developed a
series of lies". Fellow defence counsel
Rachel Adams said the woman was "a willing and even enthusiastic
participant". She asked the jury to
appreciate the mood of Mt Maunganui in the summer. "There was a huge
influx of young people. It was the liberal ’80s." The alleged victim took
the stand yesterday and told of how she had developed a crush on one of the
five men who used to visit her daily. "I felt like he
was hanging around. I certainly felt there was a growing attraction,"
she told the jury. She asked an associate
about the man’s marital status and whether he would help her get a date with
him. On the day of the
alleged incident, the associate asked her to meet him so he could take her to
meet the man she liked so the pair could have lunch together. "I had started to
think it was a little unusual for him to be involved to such an extent. "I had no reason
to think he was going any place other than to have lunch." However, he drove her
to an empty Mt Maunganui property where she saw other vehicles outside, she
said. "I was starting to
feel a little uneasy at that stage because I didn’t see any other people
around." The associate said to her: "In you go; he’s waiting for
you." The woman entered the building and found the man with three other
men. "I got a hell of a shock." The trial continues today. |
