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An Auckland man whose rape victim drove him to the police station while he slept has been found guilty of the crime by a district court jury.
Vipul Romik Sharma, 22, was found guilty of abduction and two counts of sexual violation by rape yesterday after a four-day trial in the Auckland District Court.
He was acquitted of one charge of threatening to kill.
Sharma met the woman at a central city bar and, with another man, drove her first to Mission Bay and then to a South Auckland park where he raped her in the back seat of his car.
After the attack he allowed her to drive and fell asleep in the passenger seat - so she drove him to Auckland Central police station where she raised the alarm.
Detective Simon Welsh, of Auckland City police, said, "I almost couldn't believe it when the call first came in. It's a unique case.
"She showed a lot of bravery and common sense. I have nothing but respect for what she has endured."
The woman, who has name suppression, had been through "a lengthy ordeal" since the attack, on February 17, 2006.
"I'm happy that the jury made a commonsense decision," Mr Welsh said.
Sharma was remanded in custody for sentencing in January.
He claimed the woman asked him to have sex with her so they both would be safe from the second man, Sukhvinder Singh, who Sharma claimed was threatening to kill him if he didn't have sex with her.
Singh pleaded guilty to abduction and rape charges shortly after his arrest, and is serving a jail term in Wanganui Prison.
Sharma's defence was that he acted under duress, which would have meant he was protected from criminal responsibility.
But the jury took just under 3 1/2 hours to reject those claims yesterday.
Sharma was remanded in custody for sentencing in January.
