Rape after street chase

Press, 19 December 1981, Page 4

Rape after street chase

A youth; aged 17, who had drunk a considerable amount of beer and spirits and smoked cannabis, attacked a woman, aged 33, at a party, chased her down the street and raped her, was jailed for two ■ years by Mr Justice Roper in the High Court yesterday. Martin Trevor Marsh, a forestry worker, had pleaded guilty to rape at Rangiora on May 29. Evidence was given at the taking of depositions that the woman had attended a social function organised by the social club of the Junction

Hotel. She left the hotel about midnight to attend a party in Edgewood Street. By the time she decided to go home just before 4 a.m. most of the guests had left and those who remained were asleep. As she went through the kitchen she saw Marsh asleep in a chair and he was shivering. The woman said that she woke him up and was assisting him into the sitting room where there was a heater when he attempted to kiss her. She pushed him away but he became violent, ripped her jeans off and

indecently assaulted her. She screamed for help but there was no response from any of the other occupants. After getting free from Marsh she ran down Edwards Street but Marsh caught her, threw her down on the grass and raped her. Mr M. J. Glue, for Marsh, said that his client was a valued employee of the Forestry Service. The woman was known to Marsh and he regarded her as a friend, although she was a good deal older than him. She had not led him on. He had been horrified by his conduct.

After drinking for a long period and smoking cannabis Marsh when aroused from ' his drunken and drugged sleep behaved in a mindless and selfish manner. He now appreciated that it must ; have been a horrifying ex- ; perience for the woman. 7 Marsh expressed his sincere '• regret and apologised to the I woman for his actions. ;; By pleading guilty Marsh ? had saved the woman the traumatic experience of having to give evidence at his trial. A senior and experienced probation officer had recommended periodic detention, Mr Glue said.