Field case sparked search for precedents

Taito Phillip Field during his trial for bribery. Photo / Dean Purcell

The Phillip Field case broke new legal ground in New Zealand because it marked the first time a New Zealand politician had been convicted for bribery and corruption.

Because there were no local precedents, a Hong Kong case was used for comparison when trying to determine an appropriate sentence.

The case was that of a New Zealander, Warwick Reid, who accepted bribes as acting director of public prosecutions in Hong Kong.

He was found to have accepted money in exchange for dropping charges, and was jailed for eight years.

Justice Rodney Hansen referred to an Australian case in which former New South Wales state corrections minister Rex Jackson received $20,000 over a 10-month period after arranging early releases for certain prisoners.

Jackson was sentenced to 10 years' jail. The equivalent New Zealand punishment would be 14 years.