Sex case jurors told to focus

The jury will continue to deliberate today in the case of alleged child molester Peter Robert Doyle.

Doyle went to trial at the Whanganui District Court on 42 charges of sexually abusing three complainants, starting when each of them was about 9 or 10.

The jury retired to consider its verdict just after 11am yesterday following two hours summing up by Judge Thomas Ingram.

"The main issue in this case really is did these things happen?" Judge Ingram told the jury.

"That is of primary importance on each charge. If you are satisfied about that I suspect most of the other questions will be fairly easy to answer."

Judge Ingram said the Crown case was about looking at the big picture and that the jury were being asked to look at a pattern of behaviour and a "totality of evidence".

"What is really alleged here is that Mr Doyle insinuated himself into these girls' lives from a young age.

"That's the Crown position."

Judge Ingram said the defence's position was that the alleged offending did not happen.

"The defence say the Crown would have to take a big-picture approach to this because once you get into the detail the defence say this is a concoction of half-truths, lies and fantasy."

Judge Ingram said the jury should ignore evidence about Doyle's character.

"It's important to focus on the task.

"You're not here to determine whether or not Mr Doyle is a nice fellow."

The jury deliberated for six hours before finishing for the day at 5pm.

The trial ran over two weeks.