The entertainment industry figure battling almost a decade’s worth of sex crime charges has been found guilty of attempted sexual violation and indecent assault – but cleared of a further 23 charges.
Despite the two guilty verdicts, and Justice Layne Harvey convicting the man of the charges, he still cannot be named as defence lawyer Ron Mansfield KC requested continued name suppression.
Continued suppression was granted, despite the fact Mansfield told the jury in his closing remarks that “everyone in the industry knew who [he] was”.
The jury returned their unanimous verdicts at the end of a twelve-week trial – which was originally scheduled for just six weeks.
He was found not guilty of a raft of charges including indecent assaults, sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, rape, perverting the course of justice, supplying MDMA and methamphetamine, burglary and attempted sexual violation.
In total he faced 25 allegations from nine complainants.
Defence lawyer Ron Mansfield KC had told the jury earlier in the trial that his client denied all the allegations against him, many of them the result of what he described as a “me too fest”.
The man was popular, he said, so didn’t need to “resort to that type of technique to have sex with women”.
Asked by Mansfield whether he had assaulted the women, he said “I haven’t assaulted any women”.
He admitted to sleeping with women other than his wife, but denied forcing himself on women or using drugs and alcohol to enable the alleged offending.
Crown prosecutor Anna Pollett had earlier listed allegations, including a claim the man forced himself on a woman, and that in an Auckland restaurant he “dipped his fingers in white powder” and pushed them into a woman’s mouth.
Pollett said the woman was drunk and unable to give consent for the sexual activity that followed.
“The defendant knew she was not in any state to consent,” she said.
She said one complainant, allegedly drugged before being assaulted, said she was “too embarrassed to go to the police”.
“She was not in control of her body and he was too popular.”
The man was released on bail ahead of sentencing, though no date has been set yet.
2 comments
Hmmm
Posted on 07-08-2023 16:52 | By Let's get real
I'm sick and tired of people in the public eye getting preferential treatment. We have developed a society where there are different groups of people that are treated differently. The dollar in my pocket is worth exactly the same as the one in your pocket. People are NOT equal before the law in NZ.
Name Suppression
Posted on 07-08-2023 17:48 | By Sycamore2
I recall several years ago that name suppression was going to be phased out, what happened to that idea? If you are an entertainer, sports person or rich, your name is suppressed regardless of your crimes. Joe Bloggs doesn't get that privilege and his job prospects and international travel is affected.
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