16 Mar 2006

Tongan noble in court on rape charge

4:16 pm on 16 March 2006

A Tongan noble appeared in court yesterday in a preliminary inquiry into allegations that he raped an employee at a motel he partly owns.

Noble Lasike is charged with the rape of a 25-year-old woman last October at the Sandyboyz Motel in central Nuku'alofa.

Matangi Tonga reports that Noble Lasike is a shareholder in the motel and the complainant was a receptionist at the time of the alleged rape.