Police prosecution came under fire for charging a Masterton man with attempted abduction in a case the man's lawyer said was "speculative", and "hardly a very serious matter before the court".
Ashley Steven Waitere, 47, appeared in Masterton District Court on Thursday facing an indictable charge of attempted abduction of a
16-year-old girl without her consent with the intent to have unlawful sexual connection with her.
Waitere also faced a lesser charge of male assaults female related to the same incident.
Police charged Waitere after an incident on Kuripuni Street, Masterton, around 4pm, on Wednesday, in which they allege he approached the girl and made an "inappropriate comment" before "grabbing her arm and pulling her into a driveway".
Police allege the girl was then able to shake Waitere off and went to a nearby friend's house at which stage police were contacted.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Garry Wilson strongly opposed Waitere's bail based on the "seriousness of the charges", and said custody would be in the interests of public safety.
Waitere's lawyer Peter Stevens requested bail for his client and argued the "strength of the police case is very minor".
Judge Tom Broadmore seemed to agree with Mr Stevens and said, despite Waitere's "lengthy criminal history", he was "satisfied there was unlikely to be a bail risk", and that Waitere was not likely to interfere with witnesses.
"The evidence is that it's not a serious offence and the charge (of abduction) seems to be drawing a pretty long bow," he said.
However, in his protracted deliberation Judge Broadmore made a point of mentioning two previous charges against Waitere, dating back to 1999 and 2001, for indecency against females.
Judge Broadmore granted Waitere bail with a non-association clause and ordered he stay with his mother until his next court date on September 3.
Waitere muttered audibly throughout the hearing accusing police of harassment and mistreatment.
Visibly agitated, and prone to vocal outbursts, Waitere was repeatedly urged to quieten down by Mr Steven, and responded to the judge's bail decision by levelling an unspoken accusation of his own at police.
"As long as it (bail) means less contact with them," Waitere responded as he pointedly cast his gaze at the police prosecutor.
