By Bay of Plenty Times Court Reporter
The anguished mother of a five-year-old girl abducted while walking to school has hurled threats and obscenities at the man alleged to have snatched her daughter.
In an extraordinary scene at Tauranga District Court yesterday, the visibly distraught woman lashed out at the accused man as he stood calmly in the dock professing his innocence and pleading to be freed on bail for Christmas.
The mother said: "You're going to die ... touch my baby. I know heaps of people in jail - you're going to get it," the woman screamed, before being physically escorted from the packed courtroom by police.
Flanked by two uniformed police officers, the 18-year-old accused Tauranga man, who has interim name suppression, was bare-chested under a blue police issue boiler suit.
He faced four charges of indecent assault and one of abduction after the young girl was kidnapped from the roadside about 9am on Thursday. He also faced an additional charge of robbery.
The court proceedings lasted about 10 minutes yesterday as community magistrates Kevin Hurley and Heather White and duty solicitor Nicholas Dutch worked through a bail application which was "vigorously opposed" by Tauranga police.
But hearing of the application failed to go smoothly, with outbursts from the family and repetitive pleas from the accused.
Speaking from the dock, he said: "Your honour, I'm not guilty - I didn't do anything."
That explanation did not sit well with the brother of the young girl.
"Bro, that's shit, eh, that's my sister," he screamed before police pushed him out of the door.
The accused then continued to profess his innocence.
"It's something I haven't done but I'm sorry for what happened to the family and their daughter."
"All I can say, your honour, is I'm not guilty of this crime ... I swear on my mum's life. She knows I'm not guilty," he said, pleading for the right to be released on bail to his mother's Tauranga address.
"I'll have a 24-hour curfew or report to the police every day if that's what it takes. Please your honour, it's Christmas. I don't want to spend Christmas without my family."
That comment triggered a third break in proceedings when another disgruntled family representative raised his voice.
"A little girl's Christmas has been stolen too, mate."
Mr Hurley denied bail and remanded the man in custody until December 20.
Distraught mother lashes out in court
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