Rape and assault allegations ‘crazy’

A man denies raping a woman and assaulting two children, saying the allegations are ‘‘crazy’’ and a ‘‘complete fabrication’’.

The Crown alleges he tied a plastic bag over a girl’s head to see how long she could hold her breath, held a child’s head under water, and punched and kicked them. It also says he inflicted sexual and emotional abuse on a woman.

The man, who is on trial in the Palmerston North District Court, gave evidence yesterday. The names of the complainants and defendant, and how he knew each of them, are suppressed.

He said the trio had lied and he had never touched them in an aggressive or inappropriate way.

The girl said she was indecently assaulted during a car ride to Mcdonald’s, but the man said they were gone less than 12 minutes and talked about ‘‘sensitive matters’’, including whether the girl was comfortable talking to a counsellor.

Accusations he kicked her stomach, arms and genitalia, causing her to urinate herself, were untrue, he said. This was the same for allegations he had thrown the boy against walls, kicked him and slapped his face. He also denied raping the woman, after it was said he blindfolded her, interrogated her and initiated sex on at least three occasions, despite her saying ‘‘no’’.

The pair had used blindfolds before and, in the heat of the moment, she would tell him he could do whatever he wanted to her body, the man said. ‘‘I took that as we were comfortable with what we were doing,’’ he told the court. ‘‘There has been no time that I’ve raped [the woman].’’

Crown prosecutor Truc Tran said the man had previously been charged with assaulting the woman, demonstrating his lack of care for her.

The man admitted he was wrong to have pushed her to the ground during an argument, and he had pleaded guilty. But it didn’t have anything to do with this trial, he said.

The man said he was always in control of his anger and rarely had outbursts, but Tran provided copies of expletive-ridden emails and Facebook posts where he threatens members of the woman’s family.

The man refused to comment on them. He also denied ever commanding the woman to perform tasks for him, which a witness claimed earlier in the trial to have occurred.

‘‘I took that as we were comfortable with what we were doing.’’ Accused