Cocaine not my kick, says Henderson

David Henderson at Victoria Park Market, which he is about to redevelop. Picture / Martin Sykes

High-profile Auckland developer David Henderson, convicted of a drug offence last year, says he never took cocaine.

Nor did he take delivery of the drug, he says, even though he pleaded guilty to attempting to buy it.

Breaking a self-imposed eight-month silence after being sentenced in the Auckland District Court last August, he said he had only sought to buy cocaine - but never did.

He could not say why he tried to buy the drug, but complained about media attention last winter which he said was out of scale to his offence.

He objected to being labelled a drug user when his strongest poison was beer.

"My only drug is life - I'm a very vibrant person and I'm charismatic, but unfortunately in Auckland if you're out there doing things, there are lots of people who like to knock you," said the multimillionaire, who estimates he has projects worth $500 million on the go.

But one thing he is emphatic about: "I never took the drug."

Pauline Gardiner, chief executive of WellTrust, a drug and alcohol group for teenagers, said celebrities, sportsmen and businessmen were no help as role models when they got involved in the drug scene.

Someone of Mr Henderson's status owed more to society, she said, even if he never took the drug.

The developer, estimated to be worth at least $30 million, is keen to distance himself from a string of events last winter when the celebrity drug bust resulted in his conviction and suspended sentence for trying to buy the class-A drug.

He was netted by police as part of Operation Aqua, which also caught TV sports celebrity Marc Ellis and this year revealed bugged conversations involving ex-All Black Josh Kronfeld and former league star Brent Todd.

This week Lana Coc-Kroft was also revealed as being named in the police investigations into the various cases.

"I never bought it and I never took it," Mr Henderson said. "The trouble with Auckland is people want to make up things and whatever the common perception is, believe what they want to believe."

Police spoke to him on August 1, when he admitted contacting another man on his cellphone on July 11 to inquire about buying cocaine.

"In explanation for his actions, the defendant stated that he had discovered taking cocaine in the evening suppressed his appetite and helped him lose weight," the police summary said.

But Mr Henderson said that was simply banter and him having fun. "I was joking."

What he disliked most was being talked about, being associated with the celebrity drug ring bust when he said he was far from a celebrity.

"I got more media coverage on one day than the Prime Minister and Osama Bin Laden."

The coverage also forced him to shrink from public life, he said.

He also disliked a legal process which he said ultimately went against him. He sought a discharge without conviction, resulting in drawn-out proceedings before Judge Simon Lockhart, QC. Although many details were suppressed, it meant further publicity for the Kitchener Group founder.
"I pleaded guilty and maybe if I had pleaded not guilty the result might have been different."

But his drug conviction has not hampered his travel. In the past few months, he has visited Europe and the Middle East and this week was in Melbourne.

THE DOWNFALL OF A MULTIMILLIONAIRE

The Case

* David Henderson pleaded guilty to attempting to buy cocaine.

* He told police he used the drug to help him to lose weight.

* He sought a discharge without conviction because of the impact on his Kitchener Group.

* Judge Simon Lockhart, QC, found no evidence Henderson was addicted, but concluded that he had "previously been a consumer of that drug".

* Henderson used the term "vintage bottles of wine" to describe cocaine and asked for 10 - referring to 10g of the drug, which police valued at between $2500 and $4000.

* He was convicted, given a suspended sentence and ordered to pay costs of $130.

* He promised $10,000 to a drug rehabilitation centre.