Martial arts instructor asks for suppression

A martial arts instructor who molested a pupil says his identity should remain secret to protect his wife.

The man exposed himself and indecently assaulted the teen, and groomed her sisters, at several private trainings in 2016 and 2017.

He has represented and coached elite-level teams, and set national records, but his identity has been shrouded in secrecy since his first court appearance two years ago.

His bid for suppression was denied in February when a judge in the Palmerston North District Court sentenced him to 12 months’ home detention, but his name remained protected while he filed an appeal against this decision.

During a hearing in the High Court at Wellington yesterday, the man’s legal team argued naming him would cause extreme hardship to his wife, who is under serious mental stress.

The district court suppression decision stated the pressures she faced resulted from the serious nature of the charges and subsequent conviction, and did not relate to potential publication of his name.

However, defence lawyer Steve Winter argued that reasoning was ‘‘flawed’’. ‘

‘She faces a unique cocktail of personal issues,’’ Winter told the court yesterday.

‘‘I do believe if she faces the prospect of losing name suppression the consequences will be serious and fatal.’’

The man became the instructor at a martial arts club in the lower North Island in the 1980s and later opened his own academy.

He achieved the top rank in his sport and has been inducted into two martial arts’ halls of fame.

A jury found him guilty at a trial, in December, of three charges of indecently assaulting a pupil. He and his family still deny all offending.

His trial heard he exposed his genitalia, massaged the pupil’s legs with oil and would lie on top of her, thrusting and grunting.

He would also ‘‘simulate’’ rape scenarios by grabbing her genitals and instructing her to escape.

Winter told the court the man’s wife had several ‘‘triggers’’, which would be released if his name were published.

She felt ashamed and had withdrawn from people who were previously supportive.

‘‘She’s not in a psychologically safe environment,’’ he said.

The man’s conviction was common knowledge in martial arts circles, but the woman would not cope with the public backlash if suppression lifted.

Winter said there was limited public interest in the case and no foundation to suggestions that further complainants would come forward.

Crown prosecutor Guy Carter painted a different picture.

He said the instructor’s family had acted ‘‘fairly atrociously’’ by publicly protesting his innocence, which resulted in them breaching suppression orders.

The man’s wife had discussed the case with the parent of a child who spoke with police during the investigation.

His stepdaughter then sent an abusive message to the victim via

Instagram. It was titled: ‘‘The lying triplets’’.

Meanwhile, the victims have been unable to defend themselves in public.

‘‘The horse has already bolted.’’ Carter also said the instructor’s wife had complained about all the ‘‘perceived threats’’ she faced throughout court proceedings.

Her immediate concerns focused on the trial.

Following the man’s conviction, she said she would be unable to live without her husband if he were sentenced to jail.

She then told counsellors she would be unable to cope if his name was made public.

Justice Christine Grice reserved her decision.

Defence lawyer Steve Winter told the court the man’s wife had several ‘‘triggers’’, which would be released if his name were published. She felt ashamed and had withdrawn from people who were previously supportive.