Christchurch prowler case: Man denies breaking in, trying to rape women

A man who yesterday denied breaking into five homes and trying to rape three women in Christchurch can now be named for the first time.

Mark Anthony Thompson, 45, was arrested after reports of a prowler in Upper Riccarton in October last year.

Later, he appeared at Christchurch District Court on 10 charges, including assault with intent to commit rape, burglary, and impeding blood circulation.

Thompson appeared from custody via audio visual link (AVL) on Wednesday afternoon to deny all charges and elect to stand trial by jury.

His lawyer Ben Shamy asked for name suppression, which was granted at his first court appearance, to continue on the grounds of extreme hardship.

But Judge Tony Couch rejected the application and remanded him in custody to come back to court on May 6 for a case review hearing.