Lawyers are defending a judge's comment that the
Turangi teenager who allegedly raped a five-year-old girl at a
campground looked "very smart", saying such comments are commonplace.
The
16-year-old reappeared in Taupo Youth Court on Thursday charged with
rape, burglary and causing grievous bodily harm by sexual violation
after the campground attack in December, which left the girl with
significant injuries to her head and body.
The girl's parents, who
are European tourists, asked Judge Jocelyn Munro to consider their
feelings after she praised the teenager's tidy appearance at a recent
court appearance.
"We felt the judge's comments about the
offender's smart looking (appearance) was out of place. We were
concerned when we read them," the parents said, according to the New
Zealand Herald.
They asked the court in a statement to "consider
the impact this has had and will continue to have for years on our
daughter and our family".
However, Youth Court lawyers say such comments by judges are fairly normal.
Manukau
barrister Kate Leys told the New Zealand Herald there was a statutory
requirement to ensure a young accused understood and participated in the
court proceedings.
"I can understand why the victim's family
could be upset in the circumstances, but I don't think it's showing any
bias or anything else," she says.
Auckland University law
professor Warren Brookbanks said it was clear the judge was "accept(ing)
the mandate that young people appearing in court are to be treated as
benevolently as possible".
The girl's parents were also reportedly
upset that a prayer written by the accused teen, asking God for
forgiveness of his sins and to relieve him of anger and stress, was read
to the court at his last appearance.
The teenager has indicated he will plead guilty to the charges.
The
family, who are still in New Zealand, said they will not be at the
youth's next court appearance on Wednesday because they will be with
their daughter at Waikato Hospital.
A trust fund set up for the girl has raised $61,000.
NZN