A man has been charged with a rape in Napier 17 years ago as a result of new DNA evidence.
The 37-year-old Wanganui man appeared in the Wanganui District Court yesterday on charges relating to the abduction and rape of a Hawke's Bay woman in 1998.
He is facing charges of threatening to kill, abduction, aggravated assault and rape. He was remanded in custody to reappear in court again on 15 April.
Detective Sergeant Tim Smith of the Hawke's Bay Sexual Assault Team said the alleged rape occurred in Napier early on the morning of 6 February 1998.
The female victim had left a Napier bar and was found a short time later in distress on the beach near Marine Parade.