Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Rape claim shocked Potaka

By Court Reporter
Whanganui Chronicle·
15 Nov, 2012 05:40 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

When Francis John Haami Potaka was told he raped a teenager while two others held her down, his response was one of shock.

"Holy s***! Honest, officer ... I tell you right now that is bulls*** ... that is rubbish, officer ... those guys ... they are young and kind-hearted."

Potaka, 25, is one of three males facing sex assault charges before Judge David Cameron in the Whanganui District Court.

Yesterday, the jury was played a video interview of Potaka at the Whanganui Police Station, where he recalled the events of the night that led to the rape allegations.

Potaka said he did not know the complainant before that night. His account was that everyone was happy and dancing when he and the complainant "hooked up". He said he was "really drunk" and so was the complainant, who he said, looked like she was crying.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The partner of one of Potaka's friends went over to "look after her", he said, then she left, and the complainant started dancing again. "I think she was trying to get into some of the bros, too."

He told the interviewing officer he would "not say I took advantage ... I was so smashed".

He went on to say that she was kissing and hugging other males and giving out shots of her uncle's home-brew spirits to people at the party. He struggled to remember the events of the night, but then said they were kissing and touching outside the "shed", and the complainant was rubbing him, and he was touching her breasts. He said he could not be 100 per cent sure they had sex at that time.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Potaka said they went back to the party, where the complainant danced with her friends, then they all danced together. He said she was "happy, laughing," and the last time he saw her she was still drinking and had "hooked up with another guy".

He also said he heard "another mate tell her to get off and go away".

Potaka had gone into the police station with his parents on January 24 last year, where he spoke to a police officer and said he had been accused of rape and was "there to sort it out".

Potaka's lawyer, Roger Crowley, asked the officer if it was "par for the course" for people to come to the police station to volunteer themselves on a regular basis. The officer replied they were in a minority.

Today, the Crown will give its closing address, followed by the lawyers for Potaka, Michael Ron Te Weri, 20, and Jesse Akuhata Ngataierua Brider, 19.

Then Judge Cameron will sum up and direct the jury on points of law.

The jury will return to court at 10am tomorrow for deliberations.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Why Ruapehu voted against bigger water model

11 Jul 05:02 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

Search for missing man continues after car pulled from river

10 Jul 11:09 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Community group seeks to manage historic reserve

10 Jul 06:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Why Ruapehu voted against bigger water model

Why Ruapehu voted against bigger water model

11 Jul 05:02 AM

Officials say a multi-council body would save their community $40 million.

Search for missing man continues after car pulled from river

Search for missing man continues after car pulled from river

10 Jul 11:09 PM
Community group seeks to manage historic reserve

Community group seeks to manage historic reserve

10 Jul 06:00 PM
Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

10 Jul 03:15 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP