Silipa Take The long wait for the trial of a former New Zealand AIDS Foundation counsellor is due to a large backlog in the Wellington District Court. Silipa Take is facing two charges of indecent assault of a man or boy over the age of 16 relating to his time with the NZAF, stemming from claims which first surfaced in 2009. His trial will not be held until April 2014. “We currently have a large backlog of trials in the Wellington District Court, so unfortunately an increasing number of them have had to be scheduled for next year,” Crown Prosecutor Kate Feltham tells GayNZ.com Daily News. “While we try and prioritise any trial that involves allegations of sexual offending, the length of this trial (it will take at least 5 days because of the number of witnesses) and the backlog means that April is the earliest date we can give it at this stage.” Feltham says they will continue to monitor the trial and if there is any chance it can be heard earlier, they will try and bring it forward. “This may arise if the Court allocates further hearing time or if trial time becomes available through another trial being resolved or adjourned.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 12th June 2013 - 2:26pm