'I didn't know if I was going to be alive in the next 20 minutes'

WARNING: This story includes allegations of sexual abuse and may be distressing to some readers.

A young woman said she feared for her life at times while living with an older man who allegedly subjected her to repeated physical abuse and demanded sexual acts.

The man is on trial in the Napier District Court, facing 27 charges, including six counts of unlawful sexual connection and numerous charges of assault.

On the second day of the trial on Tuesday, a charge of rape was downgraded to one of attempted rape, after the complainant gave detailed evidence.

The man has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The woman, who has statutory name suppression, went to live with the man and his wife in her late teens after a period living in a foster family.

The Crown alleges the man, then aged 51, began to abuse her when his wife was away, punching her for perceived disrespect, or even silence.

The Crown says the violence was often accompanied by verbal abuse and by locking her outside the house.

He allegedly threw a heavy doorstop at her on one occasion.

The man then asked the woman to perform oral sex. She complied, believing she had no choice, Crown prosecutor Megan Mitchell has told the court.

From then on she was allegedly forced to perform oral sex more often. When she refused, she said she was given a “fat hiding”.

The court has heard that in early 2024, the man tried to have sex with the woman, unsuccessfully.

The woman maintained her allegations against the man when she appeared on the witness stand on Tuesday.

Defence counsel Philip Ross detailed violent incidents the woman had talked about in her police interviews and suggested to her that they did not happen.

“That happened,” she said repeatedly.

The man, however, denied the woman’s allegations and in a videotaped interview given to police, said she had made advances to him.

He said he had woken up twice in his bed to find the woman performing oral sex on him.

“I says, ‘what the f*** is going on?’ and try to push her away,” he said in the recorded interview.

“I was taken aback because I’ve never come across that in my life.

“I have no idea of what she was trying to achieve. It hurt me.”

He said he told the woman: “What the f*** are you doing? What’s wrong with you?”

“It’s quite shameful actually and pretty sad in my life that she could go this low.”

The man also said the attempted rape never happened.

Court hears audio recordings

Also on Tuesday, the court heard audio recordings that the woman made without the man’s knowledge.

In them, he is heard saying “I’m going to kill you” and calling her an ugly “maggot b****”.

In one of the recordings, he is heard to say: “This time I’m going to finish it … the next f***-up is going to cost you your life … I don’t want you here”.

The woman was asked by Mitchell how she felt, hearing the last of the recordings played in court.

“It sounded like he was right there, like I was reliving it,” she said.

“[I] was absolutely fearful. I didn’t know if I was going to be alive in the next 20 minutes.

“I didn’t know if I was going to be hit. I didn’t know what was going to happen.”

Mitchell asked the woman if she had taken the statement on the recording that the man was going to kill her seriously.

“Yes,” she replied.

On the first day of the trial, Judge Russell Collins told the jury the man had a historical conviction for manslaughter.

Judge Collins said this did not make it more likely that he committed any of the offences with which he is now charged.

However, the judge said it might be relevant to the woman’s state of mind at the time she was living with the man.

The trial continues.

SEXUAL HARM
Where to get help:
If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7:
• Call 0800 044 334
• Text 4334
• Email support@safetotalk.nz
• For more info or to web chat visit safetotalk.nz
Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.
If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it's not your fault.

Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of frontline experience as a probation officer.