Wombat violation goes global

MARTIN DE RUYTER/Nelson Mail

MARSUPIAL MADNESS: Ross Cradock at the family home in Murchison. His 111 call claiming to have been left "speaking Australian" after a wombat rape resulted in a court case and a community service sentence.

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A moment's frustration at not being able to reach the Motueka police station by phone led Ross Cradock to utter a phrase that has led to worldwide notoriety and a spot on zany British comedy the Graham Norton Show.

A show researcher has interviewed Cradock by phone for an item that will be broadcast on a new BBC series of the talk show in England.

The show was among a host of overseas media to have picked up the item after the Nelson Mail's story last week on Cradock, who claimed in the Nelson District Court that he was left "speaking Australian" after being "raped by a wombat".

The 48-year-old was convicted on a charge of using a phone for a fictitious purpose.

He told the Nelson Mail this week that even if he could take back what he said, he wouldn't because people have had a good laugh.

Cradock, who currently lives in Murchison with mum Glory and retired truck driver dad Steve, was not particularly fond of wombats. He had simply told the police communications centre the first thing that came into his head when the operator kept asking what his emergency was.

He reckoned that his statement went part of the way to achieving the desired effect - four policemen turned up at his house in Motueka where he lived at the time, but instead of talking to him about his problem, they arrested him for making the hoax call.

Cradock told the Mail that a threat he had made to "smash the filth" if the police arrived at his home that night, was triggered by him wanting to talk to the Motueka police about them "leaning" on a family member over a statement they sought on another matter.

"I dialled 111, and they asked, 'fire, police or ambulance'. I said I wanted to talk to the Motueka police, and they said it had to be an emergency, so I hung up and then called back, and they said the same thing, so I said 'okay, I've just been raped by a wombat'. They pulled the pin on the call."

Police said in court that Cradock told them he was being raped by a wombat at his Motueka address, and sought their immediate help. He then tried to withdraw the complaint. "I'll retract the rape complaint from the wombat, because he's pulled out," Cradock told the operator at the communications centre.

"Apart from speaking Australian now, I'm pretty all right you know," he added.

He claimed to have a "love-hate" relationship with the police, and while he was no saint, he was "not a bad bastard either". He said this week the reaction had been a "bit of a riot", and he had not set out to cause such a fuss.

Cradock is serving his 75-hour community work sentence helping the Murchison Hospital build a new garden area.

- © Fairfax NZ News