Former colleagues of a Dunedin man accused of sexually abusing a woman more than 15 years ago have described him as caring, compassionate and a great role model.
The 70-year-old man, who has interim name suppression, is facing two charges of indecent assault in relation to the alleged incidents, in Dunedin between May 1 and June 30 and on September 17, 1999.
The complainant, who had a history of mental health issues including borderline personality disorder, eating disorders, depression and anxiety, said the defendant touched her inappropriately on several occasions while the two shared a professional relationship.
A former colleague of the defendant told the Dunedin District Court yesterday, the seventh day of a jury trial, she could not recall any concerns about the man's conduct while she worked with him.
''He was compassionate ... caring,'' she said.
''He was eccentric, slightly awkward - a gentle, soft-spoken man.''
Another witness, who worked with the defendant for three years, said he had a gentle manner and was ''a great role model for me''.
A third witness told the court she could not recall seeing the defendant act inappropriately while she worked with him.
She was aware of the complainant and believed she had been going through a difficult time, the witness told the court.
''She had a distant relationship with her parents, a strict upbringing,'' she said.
''I believe she was from a Christian family.''
The defendant is accused of touching the woman inappropriately on several occasions following ice-skating lessons he had organised for the pair.
He is also accused of touching the complainant indecently when he visited her in hospital after she had overdosed on paracetamol.
A second impartial witness, clinical psychologist Dr Ian Goodwin, of Auckland, gave evidence yesterday about the mental health disorders the complainant was suffering from at the time of the alleged incidents.
Dr Goodwin said any type of personality disorder was a ''reasonably serious state of affairs''.
Each had its own level of severity, but dissociation was the most important factor in affecting memory, he said.
Depression could also be a factor, as it affected cognition and concentration.
People with the personality disorder were often inconsistent in how they interpreted social interactions and could form unrealistic relationships, Dr Goodwin said.
''You have to be extremely aware of how they may be interpreting what you're saying to them.''
Someone with a combination of the disorder, depression and anxiety would be experiencing ''a significant level of disturbance'', he said.
Recovered memory, which was the issue in question, was a heavily politicised topic, but all professional associations agreed memories recovered in therapy should be treated with ''some caution and scepticism'', Dr Goodwin said.
''Essentially, it is possible to construct convincing pseudo-memories of things that never occurred.''
Memories usually lost detail over time and the detail of an account did not indicate its accuracy, he said.
In cross-examining Dr Goodwin, crown counsel Robin Bates asked if he was aware of instances of delays in reporting sexual abuse.
Dr Goodwin said that was common, and cited shame, guilt and knowing the offender as reasons for someone not coming forward straight away.
Dr Goodwin agreed with the view of the other psychologist to give evidence during the trial, Dr Suzanne Blackwell, who said while peripheral details of traumatic events may be incorrect, the central elements were usually accurate.
The trial will continue today and is expected to finish tomorrow.
