Sex abuse trial likely to be 'disturbing'

The trial of a man facing more than 30 sex charges against eight girls under 16 has begun in Wanganui.

Daniel Bell, 39, pleaded not guilty to eight charges of indecent assault of a girl under 12, 12 charges of rape, three of unlawful sexual connection and nine of indecently assaulting a child. He pleaded guilty to one charge of indecency with a girl aged between 12 and 16.

A jury of five men and seven women was selected for the trial, which began at the Whanganui High Court before Justice David Collins yesterday.

Bell's alleged offending occurred between 1995 and 2010 in various locations throughout Wanganui and later Napier. About 30 witnesses will be called throughout the trial. Defence lawyer Fergus Steedman also told the court Bell would take the witness stand himself.

In his opening address Crown prosecutor Harry Mallalieu said Bell had been sexually offending against young girls for a long time and had an "ability to befriend parents and form bonds of trust".

There were eight female victims under 16 and one as young as four at the time of offending. "He frequently manipulated situations for the girls to be left alone with him," Mr Mallalieu said.

On occasion he told victims they would be in trouble if they said anything, while he also gave girls sweets to keep them quiet, Mr Mallalieu said.

"This is going to be difficult for a number of the witnesses and, of course, the people involved. Many of these children come from backgrounds which may be unfamiliar to you. This trial is likely to be disturbing."

Mr Mallalieu told the jury it was important to assess each charge individually as "multiple trials within trials".

Mr Steedman's opening statement acknowledged that on the surface it would appear a compelling Crown case. "Sitting here listening to all of it encapsulated, I have to acknowledge that it sounds awful," he said.

"I guess the obvious question is why are we here? The answer is simple because some of it ... might possibly not be true. In a nutshell, his defence is this: 'I'm not a good man, I'm a bad man, but I know what I've done and I didn't do these things.'"

Mr Steedman urged jurors to focus on the content of witness statements, not the manner in which they were delivered.

"Sometimes demeanour can be deceptive."

Witnesses began to be called yesterday afternoon and the trial continues today. It is expected to take at least a month.