Wilson appeals convictions

reduced during the trial to an attempted rape. It unfairly deprived Wilson of his intended defence that there was no penetration, he said.

The sentence appeal was that if Wilson had been sentenced in 1996 for the most recent convictions Wilson would not have got a longer sentence than the 21 years he received, Mckenzie said.

Another ground of the sentence appeal was that Wilson should have been discharged because in relation to one of the women the prosecution had waited 40 years to charge Wilson.

Crown lawyer Mark Lillico said the issue about delay was whether Wilson could still get a fair trial, and the Crown said that he could.

The challenge to one of the woman’s identification of Wilson was before the jury and it accepted the woman’s identification, he said.

The change of the charge from rape to attempted rape was ‘‘always on the cards’’ and was not unfair to Wilson, Lillico said.

Lillico supported the sentence on the basis the 21-year sentence would have been even higher in 1996 if the most recent convictions had been included.

The Court of Appeal reserved its decision. Wilson was not present for the appeal hearing. The Rainbow Ski Area has reopened after crews completed repairs after a crash between a car and a pedestrian.

The crash happened at the upper car park at Rainbow Ski Area near St Arnaud, shortly before 4pm on Sunday.

The field was closed on Monday as staff made an assessment and repairs to icy sections of the access road. The field was reopened yesterday morning, complete with 5cm-10cm of fresh snow.

After the crash on Sunday, a St John Ambulance spokesman confirmed an ambulance was sent from Richmond and a first response team was sent from St Arnaud.

One person was taken to Nelson Hospital with moderate injuries, the spokesman said. They were discharged later that night.

Police confirmed they were also notified of the crash, and said there were no arrests or charges.