Black Power president found guilty of raping former prospect's partner

STUFF

After Dennis Weston was found guilty of rape and indecent assault in the New Plymouth District Court on Thursday, there were emotional scenes both inside and outside of the court.

A Taranaki Black Power boss has been found guilty of the sexual attack on the partner of his former gang prospect.

On Thursday, and after seven hours of deliberation, the foreman told the New Plymouth District Court the jury had reached unanimous verdicts in Dennis Craig Weston's case, and found him guilty of rape and indecent assault.

He was found not guilty of abducting the woman.

Weston is the president of the Stratford chapter of the gang and knew the victim, as she was the long-term partner of one of his gang prospects.

On May 23, 2016, the court heard how the 57-year-old confronted the woman at an Eltham address and groped her, before he raped her in one of the bedrooms. Following the attack, the court heard how he called the victim "Black Power property".

Weston, who has had a large group of support in court for much of the trial, maintained the sexual assault never took place and had pleaded not guilty to the three charges.

"It simply did not happen," Weston's lawyer Kelly Marriner stated at the outset of the four-day trial.

The victim, who cannot be named, gave evidence at the trial and recounted how scared she had been during the attack and that she had been reluctant to tell her partner of 11 years, who at the time was a Black Power prospect who answered directly to Weston.

Her partner also gave evidence at the trial and he told the jury how he met with her three days after the rape and noticed a change in her demeanour. After asking several times about what was wrong, he recalled how she broke down and told him about what Weston had done.

He was the one who encouraged her to go to police and the incident also resulted in his decision to give up prospecting. 

After the verdicts were delivered, a female in the packed public gallery stood up, yelled at the jury of seven men and four women and left the court room. A female juror was discharged on day one of the trial. 

A further emotional outburst, by another male supporter, carried on outside of the Robe St courthouse, after the hearing was completed. 

Visibly upset and angry, he walked back and forth over the grassed area outside, while court security and additional police staff looked on.

He was later seen being comforted by two others.

As for Weston, who is known by the nickname Beetle, he showed little emotion when the verdicts were read.

After thanking the jury for their service, Judge Garry Barkle convicted Weston on the rape and indecent assault charges and issued a strike warning against him.

He remanded the defendant into custody until August 2, when he will reappear for sentencing.