22 May 2013

Four men on trial accused of rape

8:33 pm on 22 May 2013

Four men are on trial in the High Court in Hamilton over the rape of a woman in the city in April 2011.

Amir Chand, 25, Harvinder Singh, 22, Kamalijeet Singh, 27, and Sumit Vermani, 26, are accused of raping a 19-year-old woman at a flat in Lake Road.

The Crown says they picked up the woman and her friend at a city supermarket and took them back to the flat.

The woman says she was taken to a bedroom by Mr Chand and raped and after that was attacked by the other three men.

Under cross-examination, a witness who was at the flat told the court on Wednesday he hadn't noticed anyone there who was uncomfortable.

The court was told the women were drunk and needed assistance. The witness said they were staggering when they arrived and were carried upstairs to the flat.

He told the court he heard giggling and saw one of the accused kissing the woman. The witness says he was also drunk, but at no time did he hear any yelling or screaming.