Candid camera puts sex offence cleaner in court

By LOUISA CLEAVE television editor

The role of consumer watchdog television shows took a new turn this week with hidden camera footage from the programme Target used in a successful police prosecution.

Tapes of a Hamilton cleaner performing indecent acts with women's underwear were passed to police by the programme-makers.

The man admitted two charges of wilfully damaging underwear and sheets and one of unlawfully being on property. He was fined $350 in the Hamilton District Court.

The crime, which will be shown on TV3 tomorrow night, occurred this year in a house rented by the show to monitor the performance of tradespeople in the area.

The 33-year-old man is seen rifling a set of drawers, taking two pairs of women's underwear and masturbating with them.

He repeats the act on the bed and then replaces the underwear in the drawer.

Executive producer Vincent Burke said although Target had caught other acts on tape, the Hamilton case was much worse and warranted handing the tapes to police.

But Jim Tully, head of journalism at Canterbury University, said news organisations should not initiate police investigations. He warned of damage to the relationship between the media and public.

"Normally speaking, media organisations are pretty scrupulous about not initiating the handing over of evidence or other material to police.

"Normally you would always cooperate, but you would do it on the basis of a search warrant or a subpoena."

Mr Tully said people might be reluctant to speak to the media or have activities such as protests covered "if they think this is somehow going to be taken by the media and handed over to police."

Mr Burke said the programme would not name the cleaner or show his face, but it would identify the company he worked for so other cleaning businesses would not be suspected.