‘Friend’ accused of raping teenager
A teenage girl was given methamphetamine and raped when she agreed to meet a man who contacted her on Facebook, a jury has been told.
In the High Court at Wellington on Monday Tristan Lee Tamati, 40, pleaded not guilty to 12 charges.
The charges were three each of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection and supplying class A drug methamphetamine, two of sexual violation by rape, and one each of kidnapping, assaulting a female, threatening to kill and indecent assault.
Tamati’s lawyer told the jury of six men and six women that Tamati and the girl were in a relationship and their contact was consensual.
Crown prosecutor Kate Feltham said the girl turned 16 in December 2015.
In early January 2016 she and a friend met Tamati and another man. The two men used methamphetamine, as did the 14-year-old. The other girl asked what its effect was and then tried it too.
A few days later she met Tamati again, going with a different friend. He asked her to hang out with him for the night and they used methamphetamine again.
The girl was sexually assaulted when she and Tamati stayed overnight at a house where Tamati had given a client a tattoo.
Tamati stopped as the girl’s crying got louder and louder, and he heard voices in the room next door.
The next morning a woman at the house asked if she was OK and, not knowing the woman or anyone else at the house, she said she was, Feltham said.
Feltham said Tamati kept contacting the girl on Facebook.
She went to meet him and it was alleged the girl was sexually assaulted again and punched. She tried to contact people to collect her, but he took her phone from her.
She left in the morning and went to see an aunt, who saw her bruises and took to her to the police station.
Police spoke to Tamati who said he had given the girl methamphetamine once and she had instigated sex with him and it was consensual.
He said he only took her phone to stop her communicating with someone he did not like.
The trial is expected to last about two weeks. – Fairfax NZ