Man found guilty of rape and sexual assault

A 35-year-old Palmerston North man has been found guilty of the rape and sexual assault of two young girls.

A Palmerston North District Court jury last week found the Highbury man guilty on one charge of rape and two charges of sexually assaulting girls aged 12 to 16, the Manawatu Standard reported today.

The man was charged with sexually assaulting then raping a hearing-impaired girl, and sexually assaulting another girl.

The court was told the hearing-impaired girl, aged 12 or 13 at the time, was sexually assaulted and then raped by the accused after a two-day drinking session with the girl's father.

The second girl, who was aged 12 at the time, told the court the man touched her under her clothes and forcibly kissed her.

The assault happened in a bedroom during another drinking session at a Highbury address.

The man was remanded in custody for sentence on March 30.

- NZPA