Israel claims to have killed a military leader in an air-strike in Beirut killing innocent civilians. The High Court has ruled that Darleen Tana was not under pressure to resign.
THREE KEY FACTS
In May 2023, a police conduct report revealed a two-decade saga involving a contracted medical officer alleged to have sexually assaulted recruits and conducted inappropriate intimate visual examinations.
Neither of the male officers were included at any point of the police investigation, medical council hearings or IPCA investigation into the doctor – who was ultimately cleared.
More former police recruits have come forward with disturbing historical allegations about inappropriate examinations at the hands of a doctor who was the subject of years of investigations – but ultimately cleared.
The new allegations, from two male police officers, are more extreme than previously canvassed ina police investigation and a Medical Council censure that was successfully appealed in the High Court.
Fresh allegations of misconduct have emerged from former police recruits against a former police doctor who was the subject of years of investigations then ultimately cleared. Illustration / Andrew Louis
One of the officers bringing fresh allegations has described having his genitals examined by the Wellington-based GP in the 2000s as part of his final sign-off to join the force.
The recruit – then in his 20s – describes the doctor “having a good feel” while joking “don’t worry if you get a stiffy” and “your wife’s a very lucky woman”.
Both male officers had pre-existing medical conditions that made them anxious about passing the medical test.
“I was absolutely paranoid about getting through it. I was desperate to join this job so he did effectively have power of God, he could have done whatever he wanted as long as he signed me off kind of thing,” the first officer said.
“I wouldn’t have complained about anything at that point, I was so relieved to get through.”
The former recruits both had their anuses examined and thought at the time the examinations were highly unusual.
“I thought this odd at the time as I had been examined numerous times for my medical condition by many doctors, none of whom deemed it necessary for me to take my pants or underpants off.”
The recruit said the doctor pulled apart his buttocks and “poked” at his anus with his finger.
“I cannot be certain if he penetrated my anus with his finger or not. However I do know that he did not examine my prostate,” the second recruit said.
A damning Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) report, in May 2023, into the handling of at least seven historical complaints about the doctor between 2002 and 2015 found New Zealand Police “failed to act and, consequently, potentially put recruits at risk by continuing to send them to Dr Z”.
Neither of the officers speaking to the Herald for this article were included at any point of the police investigation, Medical Council hearings or IPCA investigation.
However, both officers told the Herald they would be happy for their accounts of examinations at the hands of the doctor to be used in a future criminal investigation.
The second male officer said he became aware of the investigations after the May 2023 IPCA report, but when he complained about the doctor, police could find no record of his medical examination having taken place.
“My medical condition is such that I could not have been recruited without medical clearance,” the recruit said, baffled there was no record of his examination.
“Why were we sent to this doctor in the first place if they knew he had been reported for inappropriate sexualised behaviour? There hasn’t been any sort of formal apology or anything provided to me in writing, certainly nothing implying NZ Police accept any liability.”
He was also critical of the police response following his complaint in early 2023.
“I only ever received a couple of phone calls from Police National HQ – in May and July 2023 – and have had no contact since,” he said.
“I was asked what I wanted to happen but was only given the option of a criminal complaint and at the time I didn’t really know what else I should do – I believe NZ Police should have provided other options.
“The impression was that everything had already been exhausted with the existing complainants so there was nothing further police would be doing. Other than offering ‘support’ there was no offer of any formal process to address what happened to me. I feel NZ Police have not adequately addressed this matter.”
The 2023 IPCA investigation uncovered 14 police recruits – double the number in the police investigation – who had concerns or complaints about visual or penetrative examinations of the anus.
“They did not meet their obligations as an employer to the recruits as purported victims who were exposed to alleged sexual offending occasioned only because of their participation in the Police recruitment process,” the IPCA report found.
The Royal NZ Police College in Porirua. Photo / Mark Mitchell
A former recruit with permanent name suppression, who the Herald has spoken to as part of an investigation into alleged historical sexual assault by a police medical officer. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Police acting deputy commissioner frontline operations, Sam Hoyle, said without knowing the identities of the male police officers making the new allegations, they could not comment directly.
Hoyle said any recruit who felt they experienced anything inappropriate or unsafe should come forward to have their complaint investigated.
“Police will always look into it and take appropriate action,” he said.
“Police would like to acknowledge the people who were affected and who had the courage to come forward and speak up. Police accept that between 2002 and 2014/15 there were failures in meeting the organisation’s obligations as an employer for the safety and wellbeing of our staff and recruit applicants.”
Hoyle said police have since introduced an option for applicants to be assessed by their personal GPs.
The medical assessment to join the police force was also reviewed and endorsed by occupational health specialists as fit for purpose.
A leading authority in New Zealand general practice said the alleged conduct of the police medical doctor described by the two new officers was inappropriate.
“Certainly the comments were inappropriate, totally inappropriate. Yeah, that wouldn’t be acceptable in any sort of jurisdiction,” they said.
The GP authority said if he was doing a medical check for a job application he would check for hernias, which could include an examination of the testicles, but he “certainly wouldn’t be doing a rectal examination or anything like that. That’s odd”.
“However, and this is the big however, if that was part of the examination, you would expect an explanation of the examination, what was to happen and [ask] would the recruit be more comfortable with a chaperone if that was to be the case. That would be normal standard practice.”
The Wellington GP who is the subject of the mounting historical allegations is now retired.
His lawyer Harry Waalkens KC has said the doctor cannot possibly provide comment on these new allegations without knowing the identities of the police officers making them.
“[The retired GP] would have every right to access the record for these (unnamed) persons and check whether what they are alleging is correct or not. I say that because there were allegations made in the previous disciplinary case of conduct that was said to have taken place which plainly had not,” Waalkens said.
“He is an honourable man who plainly had done nothing wrong but followed the police recruiting screening procedures which the police had prescribed. The need to know who these recruits are is also important, as there were other doctors who like my client had undertaken the same screening checks, and yet some recruits had mistaken who the doctor was.”
Waalkens also claimed his client was following the instructions for medical exams that had been provided to him by police over two decades.
Both male police officers have confirmed the name of the former Wellington GP – the same name at the centre of the historical allegations from all the recruits.
The retired doctor has permanent name suppression following his successful High Court appeal on June 27, 2022.
The Herald has also seen the original copy of one of the doctor’s assessments of one of the female medical recruits who laid a complaint against him. There is no mention of an examination of hernias, haemorrhoids or the anus.
IPCA investigations manager Emma Bunny said any former police recruits are welcome to make new confidential complaints to her.
Tom Dillane is an Auckland-based journalist covering local government and crime as well as sports investigations. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is deputy head of news.
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