The group walked from their gym to go dancing at a bar in Central Wellington. Photo / NZME
The group walked from their gym to go dancing at a bar in Central Wellington. Photo / NZME
Warning: This story discusses alleged indecent assault.
Three women have alleged a sportsman who attended their local gym indecently assaulted them during a Christmas party, touching bottoms, breasts and forcing one to take a pill which caused her to be “impaired”.
The man, who has interim name suppression, is alleged to have committed indecent assault on three-woman, all fellow gym members, during the end-of-year celebrations in 2020. He is also accused of drugging one of the women with an unknown pill, “stupefying” her with the intention of committing further sexual assault.
Today he pleaded not guilty at the start of his trial in the Wellington District Court to six charges of indecent assault, and one of aggravated wounding in relation to the alleged drugging.
During her opening remarks, Crown prosecutor Tamara Jenkin said the man had grabbed the bottom and breasts of two women in the group while they walked from the gym to a Central Wellington bar.
While at the bar, the man allegedly persisted in giving one of the two women a pill, which caused her to be “impaired” before he kissed her. She allegedly struggled to stand and remember the rest of the night, and concerned friends put her in an Uber home.
The night then continued as the group moved to another bar, where he allegedly targeted a third female, who was a teen at the time.
“He put her on a raised stage, slapped her buttocks and told her to dance for him.”
Jenkin told the court the man later tried to kiss the girl, forcing his tongue in her mouth.
His lawyer, Paul Knowsley, said there were several facts that had been accepted between the crown and defence, however, it would be the jury’s role to decide if his client’s actions were predatory with criminal intent.
Knowsley said the “story” the jury was about to hear may be one “as old as time”, stating the complainant was instead appalled by her own behaviour after she had gone out and “forgot herself”.
“This is a court of law, this is not a court of morals,” he told the court.
The trial started in the Wellington District Court today. Photo / NZME
The woman who alleged she was touched and drugged by the man, gave evidence today in court, with a screen between her and the defendant she had once likened to family.
She said the actions of the man on trial left her “shocked”.
She claimed he had touched her bottom while the group made their way to the bar, and when they got there, he made multiple advances toward her, including further touching and inappropriate comments.
“At one point I had been against the wall ... and he told me ‘You’re making me so horny’,” she told the court.
She alleged the man asked her if she wanted to take drugs, to which she said no, but the third time he asked her if she trusted him. She replied “yes”.
“Then he put the drug in my mouth,” she said. “He basically just pulled it out from wherever ... and shoved it to the back of my throat.”
What worried her was a remark she said the man had made after putting the pill in her mouth: “Don’t tell anyone I gave you this, stay near me.”
During cross-examination, Knowlsey said the woman had come on to his client and was making advances during the party to which she responded “in his dreams”.
The women made initial complaints to the gym, which was investigated by the owners. The allegations were advanced to the police.
The jury will hear from 12 witnesses over the course of the trial, which will continue tomorrow.
The name of the gym cannot be named due to suppression orders.
Hazel Osborne is an Open Justice reporter for NZME and is based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington. She joined the Open Justice team at the beginning of 2022, previously working in Whakatāne as a court and crime reporter in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
