Suppression continues for man accused of abducting and raping Blenheim girl

A man accused of abducting and raping a schoolgirl appeared in the Blenheim District Court on Thursday. Photo / Tracy Neal

WARNING: This article discusses allegations of sexual assault that may be upsetting.

A 23-year-old man accused of abducting and raping a schoolgirl will remain behind bars and keep his identity suppressed, for now.

Today, the man appeared in Blenheim District Court via audio-visual link from prison custody for a scheduled case review hearing.

He has been charged with raping a girl under 12 and abduction for sex of a girl under 12, to which he entered not guilty pleas at an earlier court appearance.

The alleged incident took place on April 2 this year near the Blenheim Railway Station.

Police were called to Sinclair St, Mayfield around 9.50am before the man was located on Market St a short time later and taken into custody.

At today’s brief hearing before Judge Garry Barkle, he was remanded back into custody until August to allow his lawyer further time to take instructions.

The judge ordered interim name suppression to continue, which was not opposed by the prosecution.

It is understood the complainant was of primary school age, while the accused was working on the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme.