Nelson man on trial for child rape
A 69-year-old Nelson man is accused of violating a young child, after offering her milkshakes, lollies, and the use of computer games.
Graham Thomas Rowell is on trial in the Nelson District Court, facing two charges of indecent assault of a child and sexual violation by rape.
The Crown case is Rowell ‘‘tempted’’ children into his home where he offered them ‘‘treats’’.
He would allow children to play games on his computer, make them milkshakes, and offer them lollies and fizzy drinks.
The Crown says a young girl was raped following a piggy-back ride, after which the defendant told her he would ‘‘come after her’’ if she told anyone.
The complainant told the court she was frightened by the tone of his voice and thought she was ‘‘going to die’’.
The girl had been too scared and embarrassed to tell her mother, had ‘‘swept it under the carpet’’, and didn’t report the incident until some time later.
However, the defence case is while Rowell had given piggy- backs occasion welcomed neighbourhood children, including the complainant, into his home, there was never any inappropriate sexual behaviour and there was never an incident of rape.
Defence lawyer Tony Bamford said Rowell had been offering support to families who needed it.
‘‘The defence case is that really on and this was not so much enticing, but that he was helping out and that will be a theme you’ll see emerging in the evidence as the trial proceeds,’’ Bamford said.
He said the Crown’s case that Rowell had ‘‘enticed or lured’’ children into his home was a ‘‘misrepresentation of the reality’’.
Rowell’s adult son had always been at home when children visited, and nothing inappropriate had ever happened, Bamford said.
In his opening address, Crown prosecutor Jackson Webber said details of the defendant’s previous sexual offending against children would also be provided to the jury.
The defendant offended against young girls in the 1970s and 1980s. In one instance, he approached a young girl as she walked home from school, asking her to come into some bushes. He tried to carry her and attempted to touch her inappropriately.
He had also offended against two young girls, again of similar ages to the complainant, and in one instance had offered lollies to one in an attempt to bribe her to allow him to touch her inappropriately.
Webber said the previous offences were relevant to the current matter as they established a tendency and pattern of behaviour.
But those on the jury should not say to themselves, ‘he’s done it before, he has to be guilty this time’, as it would be unfair to reason that way, and a verdict should be based on ‘‘careful consideration’’ of all the evidence, Webber said.
The defence accepted Rowell had offended ‘‘25 or more years beforehand’’, but the jury should focus on the evidence directly related to the current allegations, and shouldn’t ‘‘jump to conclusions’’.
The trial continues.