Former policeman denies assault

Photo / Richard Robinson

A former police officer is defending allegations that he assaulted his former partner, the estranged wife of Rotoiti principal Hawea Vercoe who was killed last year.

Michael George Appleton, 45, who is also charged with trespassing and breaching a protection order, is defending all charges at a hearing in the Rotorua District Court before Judge Chris McGuire.

He is accused of ignoring pleas to leave former partner Karri-Ann Vercoe's home, and of grabbing her by the throat. The charges relate to incidents that allegedly occurred at a Rotorua address on August 16.

Police also say that on October 12, while a protection order was in place, a call was made from Appleton's phone to the complainant's number.

Police prosecutor Steve Coleman asked Mrs Vercoe - who told him she preferred to use her maiden name, Jones - about the events of August 16.

She said: "I had come back from the gym and decided to go for a walk with Mr Appleton. He was in a foul mood that night and we decided to go for a walk and talk. As we were walking, past issues were brought up ... and I had enough. I said, 'I don't need to put up with this - these put-downs, you can continue on your way and I'll continue on mine."'

Ms Jones said she then sent Appleton a text saying he had better be gone by the time she got home. She arrived home to find him sitting on her bed using his mobile to text.

"I had gone into the room upset, firstly because he was there, secondly because he didn't bother to check if I was okay and mainly because I had asked him to go," she said.

"I was wild. I said 'just get out of my life' and swore at him."

Ms Jones said she was trying to read Appleton's text and jumped on top of him, poured water over him and told him again to get out of her house.

She walked into the lounge to put his bag by the door and as she was giving him his iPod he assaulted her.

"He swung me around, held one arm behind my back and one on my throat and held me off the ground. He carried me three metres to where the couch was and I just used the chair to push him off."

Ms Jones said she called the police and later, when speaking to police at her home, read a text message sent earlier from Appleton's phone saying, "F*** off, don't come home."

"I was scared, when he held me up all I could think about was if something really bad happens to me, my children won't have a mother or a father."

Appleton's lawyer, Andy Schulze, asked Ms Jones if she recalled hisclient telling her he had had a busy day working in Whakatane and wanted to go for a walk by himself to "clear ... his head" and requested she not ask any questions.

"I put it to you that you did ask some questions and that's where things got heated," Mr Schulze said.

He asked Ms Jones if she had read the reply to her text message as soon as she arrived home, as she had said in her police statement.

"Mr Appleton will give [his own explanation] saying there's a bit of humour involved."

The court heard Appleton was texting his flatmate that evening and Ms Jones was angry, wanted to read the text and tried to take the phone off him. Mr Schulze said the complainant had poured water on Appleton and tried to knee him in the groin twice.

Ms Jones said she did not recall kneeing him.

Regarding the alleged assault, Mr Schulze said his client was trying to defend himself.

- APN