WARNING: This story is about sexual offending. 

A teen was raped by a man she shared a pizza with after following him to his house where the pair shared alcohol before she became drunk and disoriented. 

A jury of six women and four men took four hours to unanimously find Donny Moses guilty of rape, unlawful sexual connection and abduction for sex. 

Moses expressed no emotion as the verdicts were read out in the Christchurch District Court yesterday, while a woman in the public gallery recited a karakia as he was led into custody. 

The pair met on the night of March 31, 2023 on Ferry Rd in Christchurch. 

Moses, 29, was carrying pizzas and offered the 18-year-old a slice which she accepted. 

He invited her to join him at his home nearby. When they got there he got her a drink before she poured herself two cups of straight vodka. 

She became drunk and they started dancing. 

The jury heard the teen hit her head at some stage during the night and was knocked out, awaking later to find Moses had removed her clothes and was sexually assaulting her. 

She didn’t want it to happen and screamed. 

She tried to move away but it continued while she was only able to maintain consciousness for short periods. 

The court heard she woke several times to the series of assaults, repeatedly yelling for it to stop as she vomited and struggled to stand. 

The teen, who is now a young woman, struggled to get to the door of the house and was pulled back by Moses. 

She eventually got to the front door and opened it to find a member of the public who asked if she needed help. 

When she said she did she was helped to a nearby car by two people who then took her home. 

She was later taken to hospital and examined, then interviewed by police, the following day. 

Over the course of the trial, the jury heard the teen was disoriented during the assault and wasn’t sure what was happening. 

She said she remembered feeling pain, crying and screaming. 

The defence argued she had a clear recollection of events before and afterwards, and submitted the sexual activity was consensual. 

It was put to her during the trial that she had instant regret because she had slept with someone who wasn’t her boyfriend, and that she had acted more “out of it” than she actually was. 

The defence submitted she had then panicked, but she rejected their statements. 

Moses is scheduled to be sentenced on July 6. 

SEXUAL HARM  

Where to get help:
If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7:
• Call 0800 044 334
• Text 4334
• Email [email protected]
• For more info or to web chat visit safetotalk.nz
Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.
If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it's not your fault.

Al Williams is an Open Justice reporter for the New Zealand Herald, based in Christchurch. He has worked in daily and community titles in New Zealand and overseas for the last 16 years. Most recently he was editor of the Hauraki-Coromandel Post, based in Whangamatā. He was previously deputy editor of the Cook Islands News.