A leading figure in the New Zealand entertainment industry is on trial in the High Court at Rotorua. Photo / Andrew Warner
A leading figure in the New Zealand entertainment industry is on trial in the High Court at Rotorua. Photo / Andrew Warner
A lawyer for the New Zealand entertainment industry figure accused of rape and forcing women to take drugs has described the trial as a “MeToo fest”.
The accused, who cannot be named because of a suppression order, is on trial in the High Court at Rotorua after denying 25 charges relating to nine complainants.
Crown solicitor Anna Pollett outlined her case to the jury of nine women and three men today, taking them through what they will hear in the coming six weeks.
She described several instances of the man forcing himself on women, dipping his fingers into white powder and pushing his fingers into their mouths, causing one to lose consciousness and others to lose control of their actions.
The man’s lawyer, Ron Mansfield KC, responded with a brief opening address to the jury saying sex and drugs, among other things, were part of the lifestyle the man was leading but it was also the lifestyle of those around him.
“He and others were all doing it, all involved ... you need to appreciate that it wasn’t just this man involved in sex, drugs and [and other choices]. It was pretty much all the witnesses you will hear from in the course of this trial.”
Mansfield said the man was “popular” and did not need to resort to plying women with alcohol and drugs to have sex with them.
He said the complainants had been “pushed” since the first woman made allegations.
“You will start to hear from the MeToos, from others who have been pushed on the police to support a case that will bring this man down.”
“So we have a MeToo fest. We have people reinventing the night they spent with him to support this case. A number of the women have had actual relationships with him.”
Mansfield said that, while the Crown would call 63 witnesses, the man would also give evidence and so would many others for the defence.
“They are simply there to ensure you get the right picture of what happened. The allegations, folks, don’t represent anything close to what happened.”
Mansfield said many people “adored” the man but along with the success came the haters.
“He has bent a few noses. Some of those individuals are more than willing to see this man fall down.”
The entertainment industry figure, whose name is suppressed, is on trial in the High Court at Rotorua. Photo / Andrew Warner
Pollett’s opening address outlined what happened to a young woman who was the first to go to police.
Pollett said the woman was staying at the same house as the man and others out of town when he came into her room and woke her. He hugged her, thanking her for being a sober driver.
He grabbed her face and forcefully kissed her, telling her to kiss him back. She tried to push him away but he pinned her against a wall.
He unclipped her bra. She told him to “please stop” but he told her to “shh”.
He walked out of the room leaving her distressed and in tears. He returned 30 seconds later with a can of alcohol.
He pushed her back up against the wall and sexually assaulted her, Pollett said.
The woman told him to stop multiple times.
Pollett summarised evidence from the other eight women.
One, a teen, would tell the jury the man pushed her into a bedroom when she refused to kiss him or hold his hand.
Pollett said a third complainant would say the man told her he had connections in Auckland who could help her career, so she agreed to go to Auckland with him to meet them.
While at dinner, where the young woman was drinking alcohol, the man dipped his fingers into an unknown white powder and pushed his fingers into her mouth.
Pollett said the woman would say the powder exacerbated the alcohol and she had no control or ability to make decisions.
He took the woman back to her room and had sex with her despite knowing she was not in a state to consent.
Another teen would describe how he came into her bedroom in the middle of the night and put his hand on her thigh, Pollett said.
Another woman would talk about how he offered her white powder but, when she said no, he came up behind her and put his fingers in her mouth.
Pollett said the man took the woman to a bedroom and put a belt under the door to stop anyone from coming in. She refused his advances and the man got angry and left.
Another complainant would talk about how she initially refused the man’s sexual advances in the middle of the night but went on to have an affair with him.
One night, while at a concert, the man forced an MDMA, or ecstasy, pill known as a “Pink Porsche” into her mouth.
The accused took the woman back to her home.
Pollett said the woman was not in control of her body and the man had sex with her.
The affair ended but the man later became jealous.
He went to the woman’s house and talked his way inside. The pair shared methamphetamine and he tried to have sex with her but the woman refused.
The woman went to bed but was woken a few hours later to find him lying on top of her.
She managed to send a text to her sister saying the man was going to rape her. The woman’s sister called and the man got angry and threatened to kill them, put his clothes on and left.
The woman who made the first complaint to police was called this afternoon as the first Crown witness.
In a video of her police interview, played to the jury, she spoke about how she never thought something like this would happen to her.
She said she felt powerless. “He’s an evil, disgusting man.”
The man has pleaded not guilty to 10 charges of indecent assault, four of sexual violation by rape, three of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, two of attempted sexual violation, two of burglary, one of assault with intent to commit sexual violation, one of supplying MDMA, one of supplying methamphetamine and one of wilfully attempting to pervert the course of justice.
