Doones knew breath check procedures, says PM

Prime Minister Helen Clark turned criticism of one of her minister's treatment of the Doones in Parliament back on the couple today saying they knew breath check procedures.

Last week, Labour MP Trevor Mallard was criticised by Act MP Richard Prebble for saying in Parliament that former police commissioner Peter Doone's partner who was driving had been drinking for four hours before being stopped by police in 1999.

His colleague, Act leader Rodney Hide, said it was a misuse of Parliament for Mr Mallard to use its protection to "put some more bullets into a private citizen".

Mr Doone quit his job in January 2000 after the controversy over his intervention when a constable wanted to breath-test Robyn Johnstone, who is now Mrs Doone.

Last week Mr Doone dropped a defamation action against the Sunday Star-Times, which says it checked a crucial report of the incident with Miss Clark, and instead decided to sue the prime minister.

Miss Clark said she was not responsible for Mr Mallard's comments.

"I can't be responsible for what was said in general debate," she told Newstalk ZB.

Miss Clark said she had no evidence that Mr Doone was drunk but said a report by then deputy commissioner Rob Robinson -- on which a subsequent Police Complaints Authority report was based -- said the couple had been in a social situation for four hours.

Miss Clark said the reports found Mr Doone behaved inappropriately or undesirably and noted "the partner that had been driving the car agreed she had had two to three glasses of wine".

"She was a former employee of the Land Transport Safety Authority charged with promoting safe and sober driving," Miss Clark said.

"She knows when your car is stopped you roll down the window and you speak into a sniffer. I've done it, many of us have been stopped in such random checks and we do it," Miss Clark said.

Regarding the case the Doones were taking Miss Clark repeated her view that nothing that appeared in the newspaper had any impact on Mr Doone's position.

"It's all out there on the public record that the Government has lost confidence in him, at that point his lawyer worked on a settlement, had there not been a settlement the Government had other options which were to dismiss. Nothing that was in the paper had any bearing on that at all."

- NZPA