A New Zealand man who called police, claiming he was left with an Australian accent after a wombat raped him has been found guilty of wasting police time.
48-year-old Arthur Cradock was sentenced to 75 hours of community service for calling police last month, asking for urgent assistance because a wombat was raping him.
The orchard worker from the South Island town of Motueka made another call shortly after reassuring the police he was okay, but had been left with some side effects.
"I’ll retract the rape complaint from the wombat, because he's pulled out. Apart from speaking Australian now, I’m pretty all right you know. I did't hurt my bum at all," Cradock told the operator.
Cradock pleaded guilty in court to using a phone for a fictitious purpose.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Chris Stringer told the court alcohol played a large role in Cradock’s life, but defence lawyer Michael Vesty said that didn’t influence his actions on the day.