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A faith healer said he was acting on God’s instructions when he gave women massages to treat illness, but a prosecutor alleges his motivation was sexual rather than spiritual.
Nga Teiri, also known as Nga Teina, 67, is facing a jury trial in the Napier District Court on 16 charges of indecent assault.
Crown prosecutor Michael Blaschke said the charges, which date back to events in 2019, involved several Pasifika women in Hawke’s Bay and Waikato.
He said Teiri gave massages to people in the Cook Islands community in the North Island, saying he could cure sickness and that he was acting on God’s instructions.
However, the Crown case was that, when he massaged some of the women, he was sexually motivated, touching them on their breasts or inner thighs.
“A massage is not indecent on its own,” Blaschke said. “It is the sexual nature of the touching that cancelled out the consent of the complainants.”
The 16 charges involve several women, some of whom are connected to more than one charge. Some of the charges are representative, meaning they cover several alleged incidents within certain dates.
The women’s ages vary. One is in her 30s, but most are middle-aged or older.
The court was told that Teiri’s treatment involved an “unblocking” procedure which he claimed would restore circulation to treat illnesses such as cancer.
Teiri is representing himself but counsel Shannon Withers and Vernon Tava have been appointed by the court to assist in his defence.
Withers told the jury of eight women and four men that all the touching was consented to at the time it happened.