A Canterbury schoolgirl who alleges being raped by five men in sand dunes after a beach bonfire was told to "shut the f*** up sweetheart" when she tried to scream for help, a court heard today.
Stuart "Mitch" Lewis, 21, Troy McIver, 21, Isaac Mould, 21, Brook Norris, 22, and Ky Reid, 21, each deny three charges of rape and one of unlawful sexual connection.
They claim that the alleged victim, who was aged 16 at the time, was a willing party who had been "hitting on the boys" and had "enjoyed it" and "wanted it".
The alleged incident happened at Woodend Beach, 25km north of Christchurch, on May 23 last year.
The woman's identity is protected by statutory suppression.
A jury of ten men and two women was empanelled at the High Court in Christchurch this morning.
Crown prosecutor Deidre Orchard said the alleged victim had been invited to the bonfire by a friend.
She became "drunk" after drinking RTDs when the five accused began making unwelcome passes at her, Ms Orchard said.
The victim would later allegedly tell police that she was led between 20m and 70m into the sand dunes, away from the fire's light, by two of the accused.
"She asked them where they were going and told them she wanted to go back to bonfire but they ignored her," Ms Orchard told the jury.
The woman says the other three accused then joined them.
She alleges that her shorts were ripped off and she was raped and sexually violated.
Ms Orchard said the woman was screaming and trying to push them off her.
She told police that Lewis told her to "shut the f*** up sweetheart".
The alleged victim says she was held down and a hand was put over her mouth to muffle her screams.
When her friend came to find her, he heard her scream twice, the Crown alleges.
Her friend would later tell police that the alleged victim was "in a very bad way... shocked... shaken, and very distressed".
She texted her mother to pick her up but did not tell her she had been raped.
Her mother "found out what happened" months later, laid a complaint with police, and the five men were charged.
Tony Greig, defence counsel for Mould, said he admitted having sex with the woman that night.
"He did so because she was happy for him to do that and in fact she encouraged him, or at the very least he thought she encouraged him. She did not say no," Mr Greig said.
Mr Greig said that the woman might have later regretted the incident or had been embarrassed by what happened. "Drunken consent is still consent, if she was drunk at all," Mr Greig added.
Andrew McCormick, defence counsel for Lewis, said he denies sexually violating her, or saying anything crude, and denies being party to sex acts with the other defendants.
April Kelland, defence counsel for Norris, told the jury that he denies raping the woman and denies being a party to rape.
Stephen Hembrow, defence counsel for McIver, says he admits taking part in "consensual sexual acts".
It was a case of "regretted sex", he claimed, in which alcohol has played a part.
"It's not tidy but, young people with alcohol, it's often not tidy," Mr Hembrow said.
The trial, before Justice David Gendall, is set down for two weeks.
