Kidnap accused has previous convictions

Nicholas Paul Alfred Reekie, who is charged with the abduction and rape of an 11-year-old girl - a crime for which David Dougherty was wrongly jailed - has convictions for kidnapping two other young girls four months later.

A jury in the High Court at Auckland heard yesterday that Reekie, 32, of West Auckland, forced open the back door of a house in Rangeview Rd, Henderson, about 4am on January 31, 1993.

The Crown says the circumstances were similar to the earlier incident for which Mr Dougherty was falsely convicted.

He received almost $900,000 compensation.

A police summary of facts, which had been presented to the court at Reekie's sentencing, said he stole $70 from a purse and then went into a bedroom where two sisters aged 8 and 6 were sleeping.

Reekie first lifted the 6-year-old and carried her out of the house to an area of bush.

He told her to wait and returned to the house to get her sister.

But as he was carrying away the older girl, she screamed and woke her father.

He found the distressed child at the back of the house.

Police were called and search patrols found the younger sister as she emerged alone from the bush area.

Detective Sergeant Megan Goldie, who read the summary to the jury, said Reekie had admitted the offence but was unable to offer an explanation.

Cross-examined by Reekie's lawyer, Allan Roberts, Ms Goldie said there was no indication on the file that Reekie had disputed any of the summary of facts.

Reekie faces 34 burglary, abduction, assault and sex-attack charges involving four females aged between 11 and 69.

Eleven of the charges relate to the girl - now aged 21 - Mr Dougherty was charged with raping.

She told the court that her attacker, who had a knife and beat her, said he wanted to take her outside to play a game.

Mr Roberts had suggested to one of the alleged victims, who is now 70, that she consented to sex with Reekie.

Victoria Laws, a former friend of the elderly complainant, said the woman told her that she had been raped on December 28, 2001 after being abducted from her New Lynn unit.

Mrs Laws said the woman, who was covered in bruises, was quite vague and just sat as if she was frozen.

Cross-examined by Mr Roberts, Mrs Laws agreed she had told police she believed her erstwhile friend was telling lies.

Prosecutor Susan Gray objected to the relevance of what Mrs Laws believed, but Justice Rhys Harrison allowed the question.

Mrs Laws said she believed the woman at the time, but residents in adjoining units doubted that it could have happened.

She told the judge she had said she believed the woman was lying because of what other people were saying.

Constable Cyrus Robinson told the court that the rape allegation came to light when he went to investigate a report of a prowler.

"I believe she reported that the prowler was the same man who had previously abducted and raped her," said Mr Robinson.

A third complainant told the jury yesterday of being snatched off an Avondale street in February last year as she went for an afternoon walk.

She was tied up, raped and forced to submit to other indignities.

Her attacker, who told her "Don't fight me, bitch", cut her on the leg with a knife and threatened to cut off her fingers and toes.

"I was very terrified," said the woman.

The ordeal, which lasted overnight, came to an end when the man fell asleep and she escaped.

The trial continues today.