Man’s fight fails

An Exclusive Brethren member has failed to have convictions for repeatedly raping and assaulting his son overturned by the Supreme Court.

The man, who has name suppression, failed to convince the court telling a jury he had also raped his wife was a bad move by his lawyer.

The man is serving 18 years’ jail after being found guilty at a jury trial in 2018 of assaulting and raping his son.

It took two trials in the Palmerston North District Court for the man to be convicted with his first, in 2017, ending with a hung jury.

The man’s son, who also has name suppression, said the offending started with indecent assaults in the family’s bathroom when he was younger than 5.

The offending escalated to rapes, which took place at various locations in the 1990s and 2000s.

The man also raped his wife, serving jail time after pleading guilty in 2012.

Previous convictions are usually not disclosed to a jury, but the jury for the offending against the son was told about the man raping his wife.

Although the Crown failed when it applied to tell the jury about the man raping his wife, the man and his trial lawyer agreed the jury should know.

The man said the son made up the rapes and assaults because of what happened to his mother.

He also wanted to be open due to his Exclusive Brethren beliefs.

The man appealed against his convictions on the basis the jury should not have been told about him raping his wife.

In a decision released on Friday, the Supreme Court said it would not hear the man’s appeal.

The man wanted to bring up the rape disclosure issue and the trial judge not properly directing the jury about how to treat it.