Leading entertainment figure trial: Defence witnesses tell of cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine use

“Everyone was using marijuana. I knew they were using cocaine.”

This was the testimony of one defence witness in the High Court at Rotorua today as the trial of a leading entertainment figure for sexual and drug-related offences enters its 11th week.

Another defence witness gave evidence the defendant’s “drugs of choice” were cocaine and methamphetamine.

Some details of the case and names of people involved cannot be reported because the defendant has interim name suppression until at least the end of the trial.

In total, the defendant has pleaded not guilty to 10 charges of indecent assault, four of sexual violation by rape, three of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection, two of attempted sexual violation, two of burglary, one of assault with intent to commit sexual violation, one of supplying MDMA, one of supplying methamphetamine and one of willfully attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The charges relate to nine women.

One of the women gave evidence earlier in the trial that the defendant indecently assaulted her twice, raped her on two occasions and supplied her with MDMA and methamphetamine.

She said she and the defendant had a “wild” and “naughty” affair. She also gave evidence the defendant would keep drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine “handy” to share with people he associated with.

The jury heard today from three defence witnesses in relation to this woman’s evidence.

The first defence witness to give evidence was a man who had worked with the defendant and the woman for a few years.

A leading figure in the New Zealand entertainment industry is on trial in the High Court at Rotorua. Photo / Andrew Warner

“We made a great team. He had these ideas and I had to figure out how to execute them.”

The man said he knew the woman as “an energetic person”.

“She naturally assumed a leadership role in the social environment. She excelled at that.”

When cross-examined by Crown solicitor Anna Pollett, the man said he was aware the defendant and his colleagues used drugs regularly.

“Everyone was using marijuana. I knew they were using cocaine. I wasn’t aware of any other drugs.”

The man said he could tell when his then-colleagues were using.

“I know the effects of these drugs. When you see everyone super-hyped-up, you know they’re on coke.”

The man said he did not use drugs.

“I did not want to get involved. Yes, I had an awareness, but that was the extent of it.”

The man said he would describe the woman as being “confident, outgoing, excitable, friendly”.

The man said he was not aware of the defendant’s affair or any tensions in the working relationship between the defendant and the woman until after the relationship had ended.

“There was no dark depressive mood or anything like that. We were winning. There were positive vibes.”

The second defence witness was a man who said he and the woman were “very close” friends at the time of the affair.

“They were in love,” the man said.

“She was just in a love bubble with him. She would talk about [the relationship] in a positive way.”

The witness said the woman had described the first time she slept with the defendant as a “good and loving experience”.

“She was telling it like a love story.”

The man described the woman as “self-absorbed” and “one of the most confident people I ever knew”.

“She had no problems disagreeing.”

The man said the woman had never mentioned any physical or sexual assault in her conversations with him during the affair or when it ended.

Under cross-examination by Crown solicitor Anna Pollett, the man said he had not witnessed the defendant and the woman using drugs together.

“[But] I’ve seen them consuming the drugs separately.”

The man said he had seen the woman using methamphetamine.

When asked what the defendant’s “drugs of choice” were, the man replied: “I believe he did cocaine and methamphetamine.”

The trial was originally set down for six weeks but has entered its 11th week before Justice Layne Harvey and a jury of nine women and three men.

Maryana Garcia is a regional reporter writing for the Rotorua Daily Post and the Bay of Plenty Times. She covers local issues, health and crime.