Rapist accused of phoning victim

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A convicted rapist called his victim from inside prison and pretended to be a psychiatrist to convince the woman to change her evidence, a court has heard.

Pravin Fia Hari Prasad Kumar has pleaded not guilty at the High Court at Auckland to two counts of perverting the course of justice.

Kumar was convicted of rape, kidnapping and indecent assault in October, 2009. The following year his lawyers lodged an appeal to the Court of Appeal.

Crown prosecutor Alysha McClintock told the court today that Kumar phoned his victim from inside prison using a calling card or by phoning his mother and getting her to forward the calls in order to avoid detection by authorities.

Ms McClintock said in June last year, Kumar called the mental health unit where his victim was staying and pretended to be a medical professional.

Staff handed the phone to the victim believing the caller was a mental health professional.

But the Crown says it was actually Kumar. He spoke to the woman and was also able to convince her to give him her cellphone number.

He suggested she had been pressured to give false evidence.

Ms McClintock said Kumar asked the woman if she had any flashbacks.

"He put to her that she had fabricated her evidence.''

Later he suggested that there had been no sexual intercourse and that her caregivers had suggested the crimes had taken place.

"The Crown says even if Mr Kumar believed [the complainant] had been untruthful at trial, no matter what he thought of her evidence, he was not entitled to interfere with it.''

The trial, before Justice Geoffrey Venning, is continuing.