Sex assault case decision likely

The jury is set to retire to assess a a sexual assault case in Whangarei today.

The jury in the case of a Whangarei man facing 20 historical sexual abuse charges is expected to retire to consider its verdict this afternoon.

Frederick Solomon Erihe, 58, initially denied 16 charges involving seven complainants in the High Court at Whangarei but the Crown yesterday filed amended charges to which he also pleaded not guilty.

They include nine of indecent assault, four of sexual violation, two of attempted rape, two of doing an indecent act, two of assaulting a child, and one charge of rape.

At the conclusion of the Crown case yesterday, defence lawyer Arthur Fairley told the court Erihe had elected not to give evidence but to call two sisters to testify on his behalf.

In his opening address to a jury of 10 women and two men, Mr Fairley said the trial was multifaceted not least by the number of charges and complainants and a vast amount of material.

It was a "classic jury trial", he said, that involved 12 collective minds being asked to assess fellow human beings.

The charges Erihe faces cover the years between 1969 and 2001 and the complainants were all under 16 years of age at the time.

Justice Simon Moore is expected to sum up the case this morning before the jury members retire.