Len Brown scandal journalist Stephen Cook on P charges

Stephen Cook. Photo / Doug Sherring

The journalist who broke the story of the Len Brown and Bevan Chuang sex scandal has appeared in court on methamphetamine charges.

Stephen John Cook, 46, came before Manukau District Court this morning on charges of possessing the class A drug and a glass pipe used to smoke it.

Cook gained publicity last year when he teamed up with WhaleOil blogger Cameron Slater to publish details of the mayor's high-profile affair.

The alleged offending which brought him before the court today stemmed from an incident in Auckland on Saturday.

Court documents list Cook's address in the North Waikato town of Te Kauwhata.

Cook also made headlines in 2008 when he was sacked by the Herald on Sunday while assistant editor at the paper.

Cook took his case to the Employment Relations Authority in a bid to get his job back but bosses said they had lost confidence and trust in him.

He was unsuccessful and ordered to pay costs of $7500.

Cook will next appear in Manukau District Court in February.

The maximum penalty for possession of a pipe is a year in jail, while the penalty for possession of methamphetamine is six months.