November 26, 2009

Sex attacks on two schoolgirls admitted

By David Clarkson

Christopher Dean Matthews has admitted sex attacks on two Christchurch schoolgirls and the crown will seek to have him imprisoned indefinitely.

Prosecutor Kerryn Beaton is seeking the two health assessors? reports that will allow an open-ended sentence of preventive detention to be imposed.

The reports will be considered by a Christchurch District Court judge on February 19. The judge will either sentence Matthews, or decline jurisdiction and send him to the High Court which has the power to impose preventive detention.

Matthews, a 44-year-old labourer who always appears well dressed in a suit in the dock, was due for jury trial next week but days of discussions led to his five guilty pleas at a pre-trial session before Judge Raoul Neave this morning.

He has been in custody awaiting trial, and there has been a recent ruling allowing both trials to be heard together.

The two girls? families were in court to hear Matthews plead guilty and for the reading of the facts by Miss Beaton.

Matthews admitted attacking a 15-year-old girl with intent to commit sexual violation, detaining her to have sexual connection, and violating her with his finger.

He admitted stupefying or rendering the 13-year-old girl unconscious two weeks after the first attack, and having unlawful sexual connection by penetration with some part of his body.

Miss Beaton said the 15-year-old girl, who had a slight build, was walking to a bus stop on Selwyn Street when Matthews attacked her outside Christchurch South Intermediate School.

He grabbed her from behind, around the neck in a choker hold, and held a hand over her mouth when she screamed. He knocked out one of her teeth in the struggle.

He forced her into the school grounds and down behind some bushes, and she managed to bite one of his fingers. She asked him not to hurt her.

He told her to look away, choked her again, and violated her. He was moving his pelvic region up and down during the attack.

He left the girl there, and she found help from people on Selwyn Street.

She had a swollen jaw, missing tooth, bruises, and abrasions on many parts of her body. Blood on her smock and underpants ? apparently from the bite on Matthews? finger ? identified him.

When police interviewed him, he said: ?Maybe your DNA?s wrong. It doesn?t sound right to me.? He said he had never been in the school grounds.

He went into a house and attacked the 13-year-old girl on September 17, 2008, choking her to the point of unconsciousness and then attacking her sexually. He was sweating profusely when police spoke to him soon after and he had scratches on his face.

The girl received bruising to the forehead, haemorrhages to both eyes, and bruising to the chest, upper back, and foot.

DNA identified him again.

Mark Callaghan and Kerry Cook appeared as counsel for Matthews.