Man masked with pantyhose, jury told

Press, 23 October 1980, Page 5

Man masked with pantyhose, jury told

A man wearing only a pair of green nylon running shorts and his face masked with strips of pantyhose had raped a woman at knife point in her flat after entering through a window, Mr Justice Somers and a jury were told in the High Court yesterday. Tavita Tuetue, aged 24. a welder, represented by Mr G. H. Nation, has pleaded ■ not guilty to a charge of 'raping a woman, aged 28 on i/'.rch 8. Mr G. K. Panckhurst appears for the Crown.

The case is expected to finish today. Opening his case Mr Panckhurst said that the Crown alleged that Tuetue had raped a single-woman in her flat in Linwood.

On the previous evening the woman and two companions had gone to Darfield to attend a scout camp for the week-end but were unable to find it, and the woman was returned to her flat. When she entered the flat everything appeared to be in order. She had locked all the windows except one before she went out. One window I was left slightly open so the! (cat could get in. I After reading in bed until; ■ about 1.30 a.m. she went to) ■ sleep. She was awakened to| I find herself beside the bed!

I with a weight on top of her. (When she screamed somejthing was held across her ■ face. The woman was told bv the man who was attacking her: “I’ve got a knife and if you don’t keep quiet I’ll kill you.” She bit the hand holding her and found that the man was wearing gloves. He ordered her to get back on the bed and produced a kitchen knife. Mr Panckhurst .said. Evidence would be given that the woman tried to persuade the man to put the knife down but he ordered •her to remove her nightdress. She complied- because ;she feared for her life. He put the knife beside the bed. The woman’s attacker had strips of pantyhose tied across his face to mask his features and he was bare from the waist up. He had a cardigan tied round his head and was wearing nylon shorts.

While the man was attempting to have intercourse with her the woman reached down and got the knife. There was a struggle. He overpowered her and took the knife from her and held it at her throat. The man told the woman, that he did not trust her and he was going to tie. her up.! He used a pair of her pan-i tyhose to tie her wrists. I

| Realising that her situiation was hopeless the •woman allowed the man to •have intercourse with her • after he cut her hands free. While the man was sitting ■ putting on his shorts by the. bed he told her that he! drank at the Carlton Hotel! and was living in a hostel at ; Papanui. The woman identi-j fied her attacker as a Poly-! nesian. As soon as the man left; the woman telephoned the police. i The woman was examined! by a docotr who found het: suffering from injuries con-i sistent withuhe struggle she I had described. Fresh finger-1 prints were found on both; the lounge and bathroom' windows. The. police interviewed; persons living in the vicinity; and one of those was; Tuetue, who resided about j, 100 yards away. He tol<J the police that he could not help them and claimed that he had gone to bed about 11 p.m. that night and had not , left the house until 8 a.m. next day Some time later it was ascertained that fingerprints , ■ found in the woman’s flat I [belonged to Tuetue. He 1 [claimed that he had never [been to the flat, Mr Panck-I hurst said. h