Rape accused weds

Napier artist and sculptor Para Matchitt tied the knot yesterday despite facing trial this year for rape.

About 100 guests looked on as Matchitt, 72, married Susana Lustig, 46, at the exclusive Ormlie Lodge, near Napier.

He proposed to 46-year-old Ms Lustig in Tonga in April last year and set a date for the wedding only after she flashed the ring on her finger from the public gallery to remind him of the commitment as he stood in the dock at Napier District Court.

Matchitt is accused of raping a 29-year-old woman after following her home from a restaurant where they had dined together.