On February 24, Scott Kuggeleijn stood in the Hamilton District Court, head bowed, waiting for the judge to say either one word or two.
He said two: “not guilty”. With that the 25-year-old cricket player was cleared of a rape charge.
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Today, exactly a month later after he left court, the Northern Districts all-rounder has been named to joined the New Zealand national side to play South Africa, in the third test in Hamilton, starting this weekend.
He will replace injured seamer Trent Boult in the side, though will be unlikely to feature in the playing XI due to the presence of Neil Wagner and Matt Henry. James Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme have the all-rounders spots locked in.
Kuggeleijn, a former New Zealand A representative whose father Chris once played for the Black Caps, was accused of raping a woman in her bed in Hamilton in May 2015. He first appeared occurred in court that July, while the first time the case went to trial last August, it ended in a hung jury.
The accused woman – a university student – alleged that the cricket player was persistent in his attempts to have sex with her after they returned to her house after a night out. Yet, according Waikato Times reportage of the final decision, she eventually relented as she did not want to come across as a “bitch or a tease”.
When on the stand back in February, the woman who alleged the rape described what she remembered occurring with Kuggeleijn.
“[The] defendant kept pulling down my underwear, I said stop, no, and I had to pull it up,” she said, also according to the Waikato Times.
Footage of Kuggeleijn in the nets in 2014. Source: Youtube.
“I had to tell him, no, no, stop … I said no dozens of times. I couldn’t hold my underwear up any longer. He got on top and tried to penetrate me, I tried to push him off.
“I clearly remember saying no, the defendant told me to shush. He grabbed both my hands and he pinned them up against my head and he penetrated me.”
In 51 first-class games, Kuggeleijn has scored 2014 runs at 30.98 with a high score of 142 not out. He has also taken 166 wickets at 33.06 with best figures of 6 for 60.
New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen says he has been impressed with the 25-year-old’s composure during the court proceedings.
“One thing I will say, I’ve been incredibly impressed with Scott and the way he has handled himself, on and off the park, with all that’s gone on,” he told RadioSport. “He’s a resilient man and, [if selected] I think he’ll do the job and will be focused.”