A man accused of injuring women and removing their teeth during sex was trying to help them, not hurt them, a New Zealand court has been told.
Philip Lyle Hansen, 56, has pleaded not guilty to 11 charges, including unlawful sexual connection and charges of wounding with intent to injure four women.
It's alleged Hansen extracted the women's teeth with pliers and attempted to remove the teeth of one woman with a screwdriver.
On Wednesday a Wellington District Court jury continued hearing evidence from a woman, 47, who was in a relationship with Hansen during the 1990s.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court she never consented to Hansen pulling out her teeth.
During cross-examination defence lawyer Mike Antunovic said the woman had let Hansen pull out six teeth from her lower jaw.
"So after he pulled out the first tooth ... the second tooth, the third tooth, the fourth tooth, the fifth tooth, the sixth tooth ... you didn't ask him to stop?" said Mr Antunovic.
"No," replied the woman, who said she had been drinking that night but was not heavily intoxicated.
The lawyer said the woman had not objected to Hansen extracting her teeth with pliers.
"You opened your mouth to allow him to put the pliers in," said Mr Antunovic.
"I would not just freely open my mouth to a pair of pliers," said the woman.
"Well, you didn't shut your mouth. You didn't tell him to stop," said the lawyer.
The woman told the court she couldn't, saying "I had no choice".
Mr Antunovic suggested Hansen had been trying to help the woman when he tried to remove her emerging wisdom teeth with a screwdriver after she complained about the problems they were causing her.
"Do you think Philip was trying to help you, in his own way?" he said.
"Not really, no," said the woman.
The trial continues.
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