Indecent act man calls in lawyers

The prominent man said his lawyer, Jonathan Eaton (photo), is 'on the warpath' against those who had published his name online. Photo / File

A high-profile New Zealander guilty of performing an indecent act says he will never give up the fight for permanent name suppression — despite calls for him to do so.

This week, the man told the Herald on Sunday that he had called in lawyers over an online breach of the suppression order.

His lawyer, Jonathan Eaton, was "on the warpath" for those who had published his name online, he said.

In 2011, the man was charged with indecent assault, but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of performing an indecent act intended to insult or offend a woman.

Earlier this year, he was discharged without conviction in the Dunedin District Court and granted permanent name suppression. He was ordered to pay the victim $6,500.

The woman said the attack had ruined her life, robbed her of confidence and left her scared in her own home.

She told the Otago Daily Times that the man had grabbed her from behind when her teenage daughter was collecting the mail.

"He kept pushing his tongue in my mouth, pulling my head back and sticking his tongue down into my mouth and I was trying to push him off," she said.

"His hands were all around my back, his hands down the back of my knickers."

In last week's Herald on Sunday, columnist Rodney Hide compared the 2011 case to that of convicted sex-offender Rolf Harris.

He said naming the man would allow other potential victims to come forward.

Hide, who is no longer in Parliament, called for National MP Maggie Barry, who has spoken of her experiences with Harris, to name the man in the house under Parliamentary privilege.

The victim said she felt let down by the justice system and thanked Hide for bringing it back into the public arena.

Despite name suppression, the man said everyone in his home town knew he was the "prominent man" in the paper. "It has taken away all my livelihood," he said.

"Even with name suppression I got fired from a job because a guy had heard it was me," he said.

He believed he was unfairly targeted because he was a household name.