Silipa Take 3.15PM: A man has today appeared in Wellington District Court on indecent assault charges relating to allegations stemming from his time as a counsellor at the New Zealand AIDS Foundation's Awhina Centre. Wellington CIB has just confirmed that the charges, of indecent assault of a man or boy over the age of 16 and arising from claims which first surfaced in 2009, have been laid against Wellington man Silipa Take. It's not yet clear why no charges were laid in 2009 or why the allegations have re-surfaced three years later. GayNZ.com Daily News understands police investigations in recent weeks may have unearthed as many as five potential complainants. It's understood the NZAF dealt with the allegations internally when they first surfaced in 2009 and Take soon departed from the job after a number of years working for the Foundation. When contacted by GayNZ.com Daily News last night the softly spoken Take said he did not wish to comment and his lawyer today advised he has not been authorised to speak to the media on his client's behalf. Take is due to appear in court again early next month and is currently on bail, the conditions of which have not been released. The NZ AIDS Foundation has yet to formally comment on the situation.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 26th October 2012 - 2:21pm