Woman says she was held and raped 15 years ago

A woman who has made historical rape allegations against four men says she was powerless to do anything other than follow instructions as she was attacked 15 years ago.

The woman's allegations of the pack rape, which police say happened at Mt Maunganui in January 1989, were revealed for the first time during a depositions hearing in the Tauranga District Court yesterday.

But wide-ranging suppression orders prevent publication of much of the evidence.

The names and occupations of the four accused are also being kept secret.

The four men appeared in court yesterday pleading not guilty to charges including sexual violation by rape, sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection and abduction.

The woman was 20 and working in Mt Maunganui when the attack happened.

She said two men frequented her workplace, one of whom she was attracted to. She had dealings with a third man through her work.

Written evidence presented at the hearing showed the four accused all knew one another at the time. The woman says, in a written deposition, that she asked the third man about organising a date with the man she liked.

She says the man took her to a building in Tay St, Mt Maunganui, where the three other men were waiting.

"It was very quiet and I just knew that they were not there to set up a date," she said.

She was restrained so she was unable to get away and then raped by the four men, she said.

"I felt I had no choice but to carry out their instructions. I said 'No, no I don't want this'."

Other witnesses giving evidence said they were told by one of the men that there was a woman who wanted to have group sex and that they believed the sex was consensual.

The woman says she told no one about the attack until sometime later, but even after talking to a friend she did not lay a rape complaint until this year.

Lawyers representing the men conceded there was a case to answer and the four were committed for trial in the High Court at Rotorua.

Judge Edward Blaikie remanded them on bail.