It took a jury just 45 minutes to find a man guilty of sexually abusing his sister-in-law more than 40 years ago.
The man, a former school teacher, was on trial this week in the Napier District Court after pleading not guilty to one charge of rape and two of indecent assault.
Over the course of two days the court heard evidence from the defendant, his wife, his sister-in-law (the complainant) and her ex-husband of 20 years.
The jury's guilty verdicts meant they agreed with the testimony of the complainant, now in her 50s, who told the court her brother-in-law first touched her when she was 12 and that the offending progressed to full intercourse before her sister accidentally walked in on one of their encounters.
The court heard she hadn't told anyone about the offending for fear of the consequences it would have on her family.