Robert Kar
Sat, Feb-07-04, 05:12
Wife 'knew slave lived in garage' By Geoff Wilkinson 07Feb04
THE wife of a man accused of keeping a woman as a slave in his
garage knew what was going on, a County Court trial heard
yesterday.
Prosecutor Peter Faris, QC, told a Ballarat jury Graeme
Slattery's wife, Julie, and their children saw him hose the
woman down in their Warrnambool back yard.
Mr Faris, in his opening address to the jury, said the garage
where the woman lived had no wash basin, toilet or heating.
He said Mr Slattery hosed her down with cold water while she
was naked in the back yard every three or four days, even in
freezing conditions.
She had only two sets of clothes, and washed the dirty set by
hand while she was being hosed down.
She was lucky to be fed twice a day.
Mr Faris said the woman, who cannot be named, slept on folded
cardboard boxes and was not allowed in the house without Mr
Slattery's permission.
Mr Slattery, 42, has pleaded not guilty to 69 charges
including rape, 10 counts of indecent assault, 20 of
intentionally causing injury and 34 assaults.
The offences allegedly happened between 1996 and 1999 at Narre
Warren, Port Fairy, Warrnambool, Brighton, Cranbourne, St
Kilda, Moorabbin, Caulfield and Geelong.
Mr Faris said the woman's story would be corroborated by
witnesses.
He said a Brighton cafe owner would say she saw split lips,
bruises and grazes on the woman's head. The woman bought
lunches at the shop while working for Mr Slattery's
signwriting business.
When the cafe owner told her she should leave she said that
if she did "he'd take her out in a boat and she wouldn't
come back".
THE trial's jury was discharged yesterday after Judge Graeme
Crossley said they had to be because something was said during
the prosecution opening that was not permitted by law. A new
jury will be chosen on Monday.
This report appears on NEWS.com.au. http://www.news.com.au/
--
Posted by Robert Karl Stonjek.
THE wife of a man accused of keeping a woman as a slave in his
garage knew what was going on, a County Court trial heard
yesterday.
Prosecutor Peter Faris, QC, told a Ballarat jury Graeme
Slattery's wife, Julie, and their children saw him hose the
woman down in their Warrnambool back yard.
Mr Faris, in his opening address to the jury, said the garage
where the woman lived had no wash basin, toilet or heating.
He said Mr Slattery hosed her down with cold water while she
was naked in the back yard every three or four days, even in
freezing conditions.
She had only two sets of clothes, and washed the dirty set by
hand while she was being hosed down.
She was lucky to be fed twice a day.
Mr Faris said the woman, who cannot be named, slept on folded
cardboard boxes and was not allowed in the house without Mr
Slattery's permission.
Mr Slattery, 42, has pleaded not guilty to 69 charges
including rape, 10 counts of indecent assault, 20 of
intentionally causing injury and 34 assaults.
The offences allegedly happened between 1996 and 1999 at Narre
Warren, Port Fairy, Warrnambool, Brighton, Cranbourne, St
Kilda, Moorabbin, Caulfield and Geelong.
Mr Faris said the woman's story would be corroborated by
witnesses.
He said a Brighton cafe owner would say she saw split lips,
bruises and grazes on the woman's head. The woman bought
lunches at the shop while working for Mr Slattery's
signwriting business.
When the cafe owner told her she should leave she said that
if she did "he'd take her out in a boat and she wouldn't
come back".
THE trial's jury was discharged yesterday after Judge Graeme
Crossley said they had to be because something was said during
the prosecution opening that was not permitted by law. A new
jury will be chosen on Monday.
This report appears on NEWS.com.au. http://www.news.com.au/
--
Posted by Robert Karl Stonjek.