Should they casterate this bastard?

The man entered no pleas in Napier(NZ) District Court yesterday to 17 charges, alleging offences as long ago as 1954, when he was a young teenager, and continuing until as recently as 1990.

The charges allege rape and other indecencies with young girls, a cow, a pig, an indecent act with a mare, and an indecent assault on a boy.

The offences are alleged to have happened in Napier.

The historic nature of the charges is highlighted by one allegation that the man attempted to "carnally know" a girl under the age of 12 in the mid-1950s.

The former offence of carnal knowledge is now known as unlawful sexual intercourse or rape, depending on a complainant's age.

The man was granted interim name suppression and remanded on bail to appear in court again on August 15.

A police investigation sparked by complaints at the end of 2005 saw inquiries extended overseas before the man was arrested and charged earlier this month.