Thursday March 27, 05:58 PM

NZ man claims 'rape by Aussie wombat'

By Yahoo!7 News A New Zealand man has been sentenced to 75 hours' community service for telling police he was being raped by a wombat.

Arthur Ross Cradock of Motueka rang police to ask for help on February 11, The Nelson Mail reported.

In a later call to police, Cradock retracted the wombat rape complaint, but said the incident had left him with an Australian accent.

"Apart from speaking Australian now, I'm pretty all right you know," Mr Cradock told an emergency operator.

In court, Cradock pleaded guilty to 'using a phone for a fictitious purpose', the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA) said.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Chris Stringer told the court alcohol played a part in Cradock's life, but the defendant's lawyer denied it was a problem on the day of the phone calls.

In sentencing, Judge Richard Russell said he was not sure what motivated Cradock to make such statements and warned him not to do it again.