Four Youths For Trial

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29754, 22 February 1962, Page 15

Four Youths For Trial

New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND. February 21. Four youths were committed for trial in the Supreme Court when they appeared in the Magistrate s Court at Auckland today charged with raping a 17-year-old nurse aid in Cornwall Park on February 1. The girl told the Court how she had been held down by two of the youths while one of the accused committed the alleged offence. This occurred three times, she said. The accused are William Barry Henry, aged 19, an apprentice fitter and turner lan Richard Henry, aged 17, an apprentice motor mechanic, William John Taylor, aged 18, a butcher, and Richard Stuart Browne, aged 18. a clothes cutter.

Mr D. M. Robinson appeared for William and lan Henry, Mr D. S. Beattie for Browne and Mr R. P. Smellie for Taylor. The accused pleaded not guilty. The hearing was before Messrs E. L. Sibun and E. S. Pegler. J.P ’s. Sergeant O. A. Dallow appeared for the police. The complainant said in evidence that after she stopped to talk to a friend in

Queen street she saw 7 her girl friend sitting in the back seat of a car. Her girl friend told her that the four youths in the car said they would take the girls home as they were passing by the gates of the hospital where they worked.

She reluctantly got into the car. she said, which sped well past the correct turning in spite of the directions she gave the driver. The car stopped in Cornwall Park and she w 7 as ordered to get out. One of the youths led her a little way from the car, and pulled her to the ground When she struggled and screamed he put his hand over her face.

She could not identify two of the youths correctly she said. She described in tears how she w*as criminally assaulted by three of them, one after the other, while the others held her down.

One of the youths remained behind with her girl friend in the car. When she was allowed to get up she ran down the roadway where she found her girl friend was sitting in a car with a man and a woman who finally drove them to a police station.

The complainant’s friend, a 17-year-old nurse said she was worried by her friend s screams, but she did not go down to help her friend as she was frightened she would be hurt too.

Graham Dennis Tills, a medical practitioner, said he examined the complainant at 1.20 a.m. She was untidy and had several bruises and cuts on her. The examination showed a recent loss of virginity. A detective constable, Lenrick James Johnston, said William Henry told him that he did not have intercourse with the girl but only interferred with her. Another detective. Earl Thomas Flavell. said Browne told him he had nothing to do with the victim except to hold her by the hand. Kenneth John Balhorn. a detective. said Taylor admitted trying to have intercourse with the girl. Taylor would not make a written statement but he described how three of the accused had sexually assaulted the girl.

Balhorn said he later interviewed lan Henry who said he had tried to have intercourse with the girl. Henrv said the girl did not say “no” to his advances.