Couch surfing link in sex charges
A Christchurch man charged with drugging and sexually violating a male couch surfer was granted interim name suppression before being released on bail at the Christchurch District Court today.
Judge Tony Couch remanded the 35-year-old to November 12 for an appearance when his name suppression will have to be fully argued in court.
In the meantime, he is forbidden to have any contact with the several complainants, a police witness, and “members of a named organisation” – presumably the Couch Surfing organisation.
The organisation has hundreds of hosts based in Christchurch.
The man entered no plea to the six charges he faces.
He is charged with stupefying and sexually violating a man at Christchurch in May, indecently assaulting another person in September, stealing a Cash Advance card worth $20 from a third person, stealing a driver’s licence from a man in October, and making an intimate visual recording.
Andrew McKenzie appeared as duty lawyer for the appearance today, but indicated that Simon Shamy would appear as defence counsel for the remand appearance next week.
The man called Mr McKenzie to the dock once he was in court to indicate that he wanted to apply for name suppression.
Mr McKenzie explained to the court that the man wanted the chance to tell people about the charges, and noted that there had already been media publicity relating to the web-based organisation involved.
Judge Couch said he would agree to suppression for one week only and the order would then have to be fully argued in court.
The police did not oppose bail, to an address where the man said he lived alone.
Judge Couch granted bail but imposed the limits on who the man could contact, directly or indirectly, and insisted that he surrender his passport to the court registrar.
The man said he would comply with that, though the only passport he held was expired.
“The passport is still to be brought in, expired or not, by 10am tomorrow,” said the judge.
Concerns about the safety of people couch surfing were raised last month when police confirmed that a sexual complaint had been made in June against a person associated with the local couch surfing community.
The organisation, which operates on-line, is a global social networking site that connects travellers with local people offering a spare bed or couch.
Category: News
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