Daniel Brass Raharaha Nehemia was a senior Ratana Church minister when he was charged with child sex offending. He is currently on trial in the Auckland District Court. Photo / Facebook
Daniel Brass Raharaha Nehemia was a senior Ratana Church minister when he was charged with child sex offending. He is currently on trial in the Auckland District Court. Photo / Facebook
WARNING: This story contains descriptions of child sexual abuse. Please take care.
A jury has heard how an 11-year-old boy "wriggled" around in his bed "like hell" to avoid being sexually assaulted by a man who would go on to become a senior minister in the Ratana Church.
The complainant,now an adult, is giving evidence against Nehemia at a trial in the Auckland District Court.
He is one of three men who allege Nehemia sexually abused them as children over a 20-year period between the 70s and 90s.
Nehemia has pleaded not guilty to nine charges of indecent assault and sexual violation.
He claims the abuse did not happen and the complainants colluded and made up the allegations.
Daniel Brass Raharaha Nehemia is on trial for child sex offending. Photo / Facebook
Judge Russell Collins and a jury this morning heard that Nehemia - born Brass Raharaha - has two previous convictions for sexually assaulting young boys.
In both cases he pleaded guilty to the assaults and on the second occasion he was sentenced to prison.
Nehemia was ordained as a Ratana Church minister in 2015.
He was stood down about two hours after the Herald first revealed he was facing child sex charges last year.
Church leaders were not aware of the case against Nehemia - or his upcoming trial - until the story was published.
He has been forbidden from participating in the church while he is before the courts.
It is unclear whether the church knew of his previous offending or convictions - including indecently assaulting an 11-year-old boy who was attending Sunday school at his Nehemia's father's church.
The first complainant in the current case started giving evidence early this afternoon.
He has statutory and permanent name suppression, meaning he cannot be identified.
The man became distressed while speaking about the alleged abuse.
He explained that at the time of the alleged offending he knew Nehemia as Brass Raharaha, the son of a Maori Evangelical Fellowship church minister.
He said Nehemia frequently sexually abused him by coming into his bedroom and climbing into bed with him.
"I always knew it was a Sunday … I hate Sundays, I always have."
Earlier Crown prosecutor Jo Murdoch told the jury that on at least one occasion, Nehemia lay behind the first complainant and "attempted to put his penis into his anus".
"The complainant would avoid this by moving around in bed," she said.
The complainant elaborated more on this when he took the witness stand.
"I would feel the underpants go down … and would move around like hell… so there was no chance …" he said.
After the first alleged assault he never imagined Nehemia would return and abuse him again.
Second complainant shares story
This morning the court heard the circumstances of the alleged offending against the second complainant.
Murdoch said the second complainant was 7 or 8 when he was allegedly abused in the late 70s.
"The defendant came into his bedroom and got into his bed and started to cuddle him from behind… the allegation is that the defendant sexually assaulted him - he put the complainants penis into his mouth while in his bed,"' she said.
"During that same incident (Nehemia) took hold of the complainant's head and forced the complainant to suck his penis."
The second complainant said he had gone to bed the night he was allegedly abused.
