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Allegations
of Sexual Abuse |
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A woman saying she was
gang-raped in Mt Maunganui more than 16 years ago has retaliated at a defence
lawyer challenging her recollection. "I am reliving
this event as I sit here," she told Rachael Adams, who represents one of
four accused men in the High Court trial at Wellington. "You have no idea
what I am going through right now...I am telling you the way it happened
because right now I feel I am right there in the...and I am telling you the
truth." The four, aged 40, 46,
47, and 53, are on trial on charges of detaining her with intent to have sex
with her, and raping her in January 1989. Two of them also face two charges
of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, and one faces another rape
charge. They have pleaded not guilty. The woman, now 37,
denied willingly having sex with them. Justice Ron Young has
continued suppression of key details, including the accused men's names. On the trial's third
day yesterday, the woman confirmed earlier evidence that she made a plea with
her eyes to Ms Adams' client. She accepted that the
first time she made that claim was in court, despite having already made
several statements about the incident. She said she knew Ms
Adams' client had said he did not see what had happened with the other men.
She denied adding the "silent plea" evidence to counter his
evidence. She agreed the man had
been nervous and she had said words to him such as they had ruined her life
and he might as well too. She denied those were words of encouragement.
Earlier she described them as desperation. She said she had just
been gang-raped and could not protect herself. She said her hands were
bound during all but the last sexual act, and she was penetrated with an
object. She said that on Monday she went back to the hut where the incident
happened and could not find anything that her hands would have been bound
around. She asked for a break
in the court session after Ms Adams showed her an object the woman agreed had
no obvious differences to the one she said was used on her. Three of the men are
expected to give evidence, accepting they had sex with her but saying that
she consented, was not restrained and that no object was used. |
