In a case that underscores the often invisible nature of sexual violence, a young Auckland woman only realised she had been raped while exchanging friendly messages with her attacker on social media. The harrowing detail emerged in court documents released this week, revealing how a night that began with a flatmates' birthday party ended in a conviction for sexual violation by rape.
Lee Edri, a man with a prior conviction for a sexual offence, was found guilty by an Auckland jury of raping a woman so intoxicated she had to be carried to bed by her flatmates. But it was the aftermath that proved most chilling: the victim, unaware of what had happened, began chatting with Edri online, only to piece together the assault as she sobered up over the following days.
The woman told police she felt sick when she realised she was 'conversing with her rapist', and immediately blocked him on social media. The case raises profound questions about consent, intoxication, and the ways survivors often have to reconstruct trauma from fragments of memory.
What happened on the night of the party?
According to court documents, the woman had drunk so much at the party that she was described by a flatmate as 'gone', slumped over and mumbling, on the verge of passing out. Her flatmates helped her upstairs, put her under the covers fully clothed, and even removed her earrings because she was unable to do it herself.
Edri, who was also at the party, took the opportunity to enter her room and rape her. The woman woke the next day naked, groggy, with pain in her genital area and minor rectal bleeding. She noticed a stain on the sheets. Edri came into her bedroom and offered her a cup of tea, which she declined.
How did the survivor discover what happened?
The woman continued drinking that Saturday, video-calling a friend overseas and exchanging messages with Edri on social media. It was only on the Sunday, as she sobered up, that she 'came to the realisation that something had been done to her and that something was likely to be by Mr Edri'.
She blocked him, spoke to her flatmate who confirmed she had been put to bed in her clothes, and reported the incident to police. A vaginal swab later found traces of Edri's DNA.
What was Edri's defence?
Edri's lawyers argued the messages showed genuine mutual interest and were consistent with consensual activity. They claimed the two had flirted earlier in the evening, and that after the woman was put to bed, Edri went to the upstairs toilet to vomit, where the woman came and asked if he was all right and led him into the nearby bedroom.
The jury rejected this account, finding the rape charge proven. Edri, who had a previous conviction for a sexual offence in 2008, was sentenced to eight years and three months in prison.
What did the appeal courts decide?
Edri appealed both conviction and sentence. The Court of Appeal found the trial judge's summing up was not 'unbalanced', but reduced the sentence to six years and 10 months, deeming the original term too severe. His application to appeal the conviction to the Supreme Court was turned down.
A pattern of offending
Court records from 2013 reveal Edri was previously imprisoned for raping another young woman in 2008, when they were both 17. In that case, the victim had fallen asleep after watching television and smoking cannabis at her flat, and was taking prescription medication for insomnia. She woke to find Edri touching her, and later felt her pants being removed, but could not move or open her eyes due to the medication.
He was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to four and a half years, reduced by six months on appeal.
Why this case matters for New Zealand
This case highlights a grim reality: many survivors of sexual violence do not immediately recognise what has happened to them, especially when alcohol or drugs are involved. The fact that Edri felt confident enough to engage in friendly online banter with his victim in the days after the assault suggests a troubling mindset, one that his defence sought to frame as evidence of innocence.
For advocates of consent education and survivor support, the case is a reminder that the justice system, while imperfect, can work. It also underscores the importance of believing survivors, even when their accounts are fragmented or delayed.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence, help is available. In an emergency, call 111. Support services include Rape Crisis (0800 88 33 00) and the national sexual harm helpline, Safe to Talk (0800 044 334).