Man denies assaults

A child has told a court she had a plastic bag held over her face by a man who challenged her to see how long she could hold her breath. She also said she hid under her bed to avoid the man, who denies all wrongdoing. The man is on trial in the Palmerston North District Court, facing 19 charges, ranging from threatening to kill to rape, against two children and a woman. The names of the defendant and the complaints are suppressed, as is how the complainants know the defendant. The trial began yesterday with video interviews of two children being played to the court. In the second video, a girl gave details about alleged assaults, which she said started when she was younger than 10. The man was very violent towards her, hitting all over her body, she said. ‘‘He would get on top of me and start punching me.’’ She described being indecently assaulted by the man while the pair were sitting next to each other. ‘‘I went tense because I was scared. ‘‘It was uncomfortable and really weird. He threatened to hurt me if I told anyone about the touching.’’ There was also a time the man held a plastic bag over her head, telling her to see how long she could hold her breath, she said. She hid under her bed to avoid the man, who followed up the various assaults with threats, she said. ‘‘He would threaten me, saying not to tell anyone or he would kill me.’’ But she ended up telling a woman what happened. In the first video, a boy said the man would often become angry, yelling and swearing, before carrying out assaults. The man would throw him against walls, kick him and slap his face, he said. ‘‘It was hard smacking and kicking ... it gave bruises.’’ Slaps to the face would leave red marks, which lasted for up to three days, he said. The boy could not remember how many times he was assaulted, or for what reason. ‘‘[The man] is just a bad person,’’ he said. The trial continues tomorrow.

‘‘He would get on top of me and start punching me.’’ Young victim