Rock attack during assault hearing

Press, 30 January 1982, Page 5

Rock attack during assault hearing

A man went berserk in the District Court cells yesterday, and attacked a police sergeant with a rock. The attack occurred at a morning recess, during the hearing of depositions of evidence', of prosecution witnesses against Paul Massof. aged 23, unemployed, on 11 charges, pie sergeant was not seriously hurt. Police were not sure where the rock came from.

The'charges were of at-; tempted rape, injuring the woman with intent to cause 7 grievous bodily’ harm, *two charges' of assaulting ,'people with intent-to facilitate flight after the ‘crime of attempted rape, six .charges of unlawfully taking or-attempting to take cars; and one charge of assaulting a-person with,intent to facilitate flight- after, the crime of attempted unlawful taking of a car. Messrs V. C. Clarke and E. W. Pyle, Justices of the Peace, held there was a case to answer to all charges. They, committed the defendant for trial in the High Court on a date to be fixed, on the attempted rape charge, and remanded him in custody.

He was committed to the District Court for trial on all other charges, and remanded to February 12, pending trial. Mr E. Bedo appeared for the defendant, and Sergeant W. J. McCormick was the prosecutor. As a result of the attack. Massof was handcuffed for the remainder of the hearing. Massof has been accused of the attempted rape of a scloolteacher, aged 23, and of injuring her with intent of caising grievous bodily hirm.

All of the charges are dleged to have taken place <n January 15. The woman told the court fiat Massof had "ploughed" hto the back of her car, with iis. while she was travelling

along Colombo’ Street at about-5.15 p.m. She said that she and Massof stopped, and spoke, and then Massof forced her into her car knife-point. . Masspp-alsp- clirnbed into the car- and placed the “pocket knife” at her throat’, the woman .said. Her lunge for the door was Unsuccessful, and Massof drove her to an unfinished -road in the Cashmere Hills. Once. there, the woman aljeged-.fhat Massof told her to; remove her clothes. She did. ~ ' . The woman then said she noticed two youngsters playing* near the* car.

‘‘l don’t think I was terrified.! felt quite calm. I felt like my senses were 100 per cent sharp. I felt very conscious of being alive. I knew that I would be all right as long as I did what I was told,” the woman said. The woman, still naked, managed to jump out of the car, but Massof caught up with her.

"I remember seeing the children’s faces, and screaming at them to get help because I was being raped." she said. The woman said she and Massof struggled on the ground. Then he stabbed her. with the knife, in the arm and in the chest. She claimed that he constantly ripped and gouged at her face. Somehow, the woman got up and- moved away. Then she said she became conscious of a man’s voice. She said that she saw a man. with a garden fork, shouting at Massof. The woman ran to get help. Her helper. Brent Felsted Elder, a farmer, and another man, Christopher Hoar, a projects manager, managed to control Massof. Mr Elder told the hearing. He said that a police car soon arrived. Police Constable Stephen

Joseph Hughes told the hearing. that while he transported . the defendant into Christchurch Central Police Station he expressed, several times,' concern about p woman. ?

“He kept saying ’Did I hurt her?. I want to see her. Is she. hurt? ” the constable said.

Detective Senior Sergeant Robert Alan Meikle told the hearing that the defendant arrived at the station and refused to say anything until he knew if the girl'was. all right.

Mr Meikle said that after Massof had seen the complainant at the station he made a statement to the police.

Mr Meikle said that Massof claimed he had' 1 been drinking the night before January 15. and. had arranged to buy some mogadons.

He said that z MaSsof remembered picking them up. and driving a car, which he did not remember stealing. ,He could also recall hitting another car. and being with the woman. Mr Bedo submitted that there was no case to answer on the assault charges relating to two men complainants. The Justices held there was a case to answer to all charges.