Accused denies rape in flat

Press, 24 October 1980, Page 5

Accused denies rape in flat

: A.young man, accused of ■raping a woman in a flat in I Linwood, had been home in ■bed with his wife when the; offence occurred, .according, to evidence which would be' called by the defence, Mrj Justice Somers and' a jury! were told in the High'Coiirt ! ■yesterday. " ’ . The .trial of Tavita TuetueJ aged 24, a welder, on a; charge of raping a woman, j aged .28,“in the. early hours; of March -8 will-finish today.' He "had pleaded not guiltv. Mr G.; Panckhurst, appears for the -Croyvn, and{ Mr-G. H. i

The . Crown - alleges that Taetue, -who: lives near the complainant’s ’■ . residence, entered thewoman’s . flat through ,a window left open so ,; that ’at- cat /could get. in and raped her at knife-point. Evidence was ■ ’ given" • that Tuetue’s fingerprints were found in the flat. He told the police that he had never been to the flat.

Opening the case for the defence Mr Nation said that Tuetue would give evidence, but that did not mean he had assumed the burden of

proving his innocence. He would" not give evidence' about the fingerprints found* iat the scene. i Tuetue would say that inj ■the early hours of March Sj {when the woman was raped.; ihe was at home with his; I wife. On the evening of i March 7 he was at his; ■brother’s place with his wife;and young daughter listening; ito the races, including the- ; “Miracle Mile” from Austra-j lia. They had no liquor. ; On returning home he had, a cup of tea and went to bed. During the night he went to the toilet and attend-

ed to his daughter who was restless. Next morning he went to work and was spoken to by detectives that evening. Evidence would also be; given by Tuetue’s wife who; would say that she was a; light sleeper. She shared a; double bed with her husband and had he been out of bed for more than 15 minutes, or

had left the house, she would have known it. She would say that he had not left the house. Mr Nation said.