John Hope Muchirahondo: Court hears: Women only knew about rape when they were shown photos

John Hope Muchirahondo in the High Court in Christchurch.
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Warning: This story contains graphic details of sexual assault.

A man on trial for more than 30 counts of sexual assault is accused of raping women who were so drunk they vomited or were unconscious.

John Hope Muchirahondo appears in the Christchurch High Court on 22 counts of sexual assault by rape, nine counts of sexual assault by unlawful sexual intercourse and one count of refusing to provide a mobile phone.

Prosecutor William Taffs.
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Prosecutor William Taffs told the court that Muchirahondo was accused of sexually assaulting 15 women, many of whom he met at parties or in the city.

The charges range from 2009 to 2021.

Taffs said Muchirahondo had sex with the women while they were in varying degrees of intoxication, some vomiting or unconscious.

He said in some cases the women did not even know that sexual intercourse had taken place until police showed them the videos and pictures.

The police have not yet succeeded in identifying all the women in the sexual images.

“In other cases, you hear that they woke up and found Mr. Muchirahondo inside them,” Taffs said, “and that they were vacillating between consciousness and unconsciousness and at one point he told them to go back to sleep.”

Taffs said some of the other complainants knew Muchirahondo well and for some time.

He said the plaintiffs claimed they were pressured or coerced into having sex.

Taffs said Muchirahondo used the women’s bodies without consent or caution.

Defender Anselm Williams.
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Defence lawyer Anselm Williams said Muchirahondo moved to New Zealand from Zimbabwe in 2008 at the age of 22.

He said Muchirahondo’s father had 13 wives and he had 31 siblings.

Williams said the jury should take that background into account when considering the charges.

He said Muchirahondo’s defense was simple – he did not rape or sexually abuse anyone.

Williams said that in a number of cases, Muchirahondo admitted to having sexual encounters with the plaintiffs, but believed that consensual relationships existed or that he had reasonable grounds to believe that consensual relationships existed.

The court also heard today the testimony of the first woman to file a complaint in 2021.

During the phone call, the woman could barely speak because she was crying. She said she woke up and saw Muchirahondo having sex with her.

In tears, the woman told the operator that she had not wanted it to happen, that she felt stupid and did not want her mother to find out that she had been raped.

“Oh God, I woke up and saw him doing it,” she said.

“I can’t tell my mother. I don’t want my mother to find out that I was raped. She will be mad at me.”

The woman said he accompanied her as she left Muchirahondo’s house and asked her why she was crying.

She said she didn’t want to confront him and so she told him she was fine.

When she got home, she called the police.

The process continues.