Lawyer hosts party for jurors, client

By TONY WALL and TONY STICKLEY

Jurors in an Auckland drugs trial were taken to a party by defence counsel where they met the man they had just acquitted.

One of the jurors has told the Herald she smoked cannabis and saw a yellow-powdered substance cut into lines at the party just a couple of hours after returning a not guilty verdict on drugs charges.

The gathering was at the Mt Eden home of barrister John Kovacevich, whose client, David McLean, of Thames, was acquitted of conspiring to supply methamphetamine.

Eight people had been on trial after a police investigation dubbed Operation Mexico. Five were convicted - including Brent Curtis, son of drug baron and prison escaper Brian Curtis - and three acquitted.

The juror, who cannot be identified, spoke to the Herald because she believes that what occurred was "morally wrong and deeply hypocritical".

A complaint has been laid with the Auckland District Law Society, which says it will act if its investigation uncovers wrongdoing.

Auckland's Crown Solicitor, Simon Moore, called the allegations "extremely disturbing".

The head of the Auckland police organised crime squad, Detective Sergeant Darrel Brazier, said police had not yet received a complaint.

"If she [the juror] is willing to talk to me, I'm certainly willing to talk to her and then we will commence an investigation from there."

The Herald met the juror this week. She said that on Saturday, October 20, after returning verdicts in the seven-week Auckland District Court trial, most of the jurors retired to the Shakespeare Tavern for drinks.

They were later joined by defence lawyers Mr Kovacevich and Adam Couchman. She said Mr Kovacevich invited everyone back to his house to listen to music. Five jurors agreed.

The jurors travelled with Mr Kovacevich and Mr Couchman in the lawyers' cars. The juror said that after arriving at the house, the group began drinking whisky. A bag of cannabis was produced and she smoked some.

About 20 minutes into the party, Mr McLean arrived. He thanked her for acquitting him and they talked for several minutes.

The juror said she was taken into another room and shown a yellow-powdered substance, which she took to be a drug, cut into three lines on top of a dresser. She also saw a bag, about the size of a large playing card, containing a similar substance.

The juror said she was handed a rolled-up $20 bill which she believed was used to snort the powder, but declined.

"I got up and left. I thought, 'This is so wrong'." She said the party had been "gnawing" at her ever since, but she had not contacted the police.

The juror said she got to know several of the other jurors socially during the trial and knew that at least two used drugs recreationally.

She was told later by another juror that she (the other juror) took drugs at the party and that another juror had sex there.

The juror told the Herald she believed in doing her civic duty, but after what happened she was disillusioned with the justice system.

The Herald has tried repeatedly over a number of weeks to speak to Mr Kovacevich about the party. Each time he has hung up the phone. Called on his cellphone yesterday afternoon, he said, "What do you want?" The call was then disconnected.

Mr Couchman has told the Herald that he attended the party. He emphasised that he did not see any drugs. He said he felt uncomfortable about the presence of Mr McLean and left.

Mr McLean was reluctant to talk about the party. "It wasn't sort of an arranged meeting so to speak ... It was a client of a lawyer going around to have a drink with the lawyer afterwards and a couple of people there having a drink with the lawyer as well."

Asked if he was surprised to see jurors there, he said: "Um, well, I can't really say. Would you be?"

Mr McLean said none of the accused knew any of the jurors before the trial.

He said he wanted to put the case behind him. "I just want to get the episode out of my hair. I'd hate for it to come back up and kick me ... I've been through this for two years - two years it's been hanging over my head."

Operation Mexico stretched from October 1999 to January last year and included the bugging of suspects' homes. Curtis was jailed for four years for his role in the drugs conspiracy.