Napier man guilty of 13 charges in sexual abuse and torture case

The jury returned unanimous verdicts late last night. Photo / File

Napier man Timothy Hebberley has been found guilty of fewer than half of 28 charges laid after allegations he sexually abused and tortured his partner for two-and-a-half years.

The jury delivered its verdicts at the High Court in Napier late last night.

The jury heard five-and-a-half days' worth of evidence, testimony, cross-examination, and deliberated for more than three days.

The judge, lawyers, security staff and media stayed at court late last night until the seven women and five men made their decision.

Hebberley stood stony-faced as the verdicts were read to the court.

His father, James Woods made it back in time to hear the decision. At 2.30pm yesterday, the jury told the judge it was struggling to reach unanimous verdicts on the 28 charges. Justice Helen Cull allowed the jury to give majority verdicts, if there was an 11-1 split.

An hour-and-a-half later, the jury returned to the courtroom, telling Justice Cull it was still unable to make a decision on the verdicts - despite being given the ability to make a majority decision.

Hebberley faced 28 charges, including rape, sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, injuring with intent, assault with intent, male assaults female, assault with a weapon, kidnapping, threatening to kill, intimidation and threatening grievous bodily harm.

During the week-long trial, the Crown presented evidence to the jury that the 20-year-old branded his partner with hot wire, burned her with lighters, cigarette butts and candle wax, intentionally dislocated her limbs, and locked her in a small room with a dangerous dog for two hours.

It was also claimed he punched, kicked and strangled her, assaulted her with a knife, cups, plates and an X-box controller, threatened to kill her, and kidnapped her.

The grievous bodily harm charges were laid after Hebberley allegedly threatened the complainant and her father with a knife when the pair split up last year.

The defence argued that the violence was in self-defence or simply didn't happen, and all sexually activity between the pair was consented to.

In the end, the jury was unanimous in all 28 verdicts.

The jury decided Hebberley was guilty of 13 charges, including male assaults female, injuring with intent to injure, sexual violation, threatening to kill and two counts of threatening to do grievous bodily harm.

It accepted that Hebberley kicked, punched, bit and strangled his partner, dislocated her hip joints, dragged her along the carpet causing carpet burns, and threatening his partner and her father with a knife on the night the relationship ended.

The jury gave not guilty verdicts to 15 charges, including male assaults female, assault with a weapon, intimidation, rape and kidnapping.

It rejected allegations that Hebberley burned her with a cigarette lighter, candle wax or a hot wire, or locked her in a wash house for two hours with a dangerous dog.

Hebberley was remanded in custody for sentencing in December.