Allegations
of Sexual Abuse |
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Shock and tears have
followed today's guilty verdicts at the pack rape trial in Wellington. A jury of eight women
and four men has delivered guilty verdicts on 11 of the 13 charges. The four
defendants have between them been found guilty of rape and detaining the
woman without her consent. The jury took 24 hours
to reach its decision, following a two-week trial which examined events
involving four men in Mt Maunganui 16 years ago. Newstalk ZB reporter
Baden Campbell was in court for the verdicts and says as soon as the female
jury foreman began reading them, sobbing could be heard from the public
gallery. Baden Campbell says
while the accused themselves have managed to hold it together pretty well,
family members have obviously been very shocked at the verdicts. Suppression orders
remain on the identities of two of the accused, but have been lifted on
46-year-old Peter McNamara and 40-year-old Warren Hales. Sentencing is on August
5. |