A businessman has appeared in court for sexual assault.
A businessman has appeared in court for sexual assault.
A businessman has gone on trial for allegedly sexually violating a female staff member while he massaged the near-naked woman in Napier.
Appearing before Judge Tony Adeane and a jury of eight women and four men in Napier District Court yesterday, the man pleaded not guilty to a charge ofsexual violation by unlawful sexual connection.
In an opening address, Crown prosecutor Clayton Walker said the woman agreed to go with the man, undress and have the massage, but objected when he put his hand inside her underwear and touched her.
But defence counsel Russell Fairbrother QC said his client, who has interim name suppression, was "totally surprised" when the woman got up from the table on which the massage was taking place. The man denied he had touched her in the way described, and the defence would dispute the "degree" of what happened. Mr Fairbrother said the man said he did not penetrate the woman.
Mr Walker said the man and the woman had known each other for many years, and the incident evolved from an incident in which the man asked the women if she knew of anyone who would be available to body-cast for a sculpture. She was said to have indicated she would make inquiries, but when she indicated a fortnight later she hadn't made any inquiries, he asked her if she would be interested.
The complainant "went along with it", Mr Walker said, and the massage took place the next day after he took her to show what would be involved in the assignment. The two returned to work after the incident, but the woman contacted a friend and then left, leading to her complaint to police.
Mr Walker said that after the woman spoke with the police, the man provided them with a laptop computer carrying photographs taken during the incident, and allegedly told an officer he would like to speak with the woman because it was "a big misunderstanding". But when arrested he declined to make a statement.
He was alleged to have already asked another staff member to talk with the woman to see what he could do about it. He was also alleged to have said he had made a mistake and wished he could "take it all back".
