Officers' names suppressed despite earlier identification

Judges have granted name suppression to both officers, despite their names being initially available. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Two police officers charged after a drinking incident have had their names suppressed, despite being named in a Herald story for several months.

One officer, who works at Police National Headquarters in Wellington, has been charged with offensive behaviour after allegedly exposing himself to a woman and her son while on a night out drinking.

He was arrested, with a colleague, on New Year's Day.

His co-defendant, a policeman at Counties/Manukau, has been charged with disorderly behaviour.

The Herald named both officers in January after their arrests and first appearances in Pukekohe District Court.

However, in two subsequent appearances in Pukekohe District Court, judges have granted name suppression to both officers, despite their names being initially available.

On March 3, Judge Jane Lovell-Smith granted an interim order for the officer charged with offensive behaviour.

Today, Judge Sharon McAuslan granted an interim order to the second man after his counsel argued it was unfair that one was named but not the other.

The pair were arrested after a woman complained she was approached by the men while she sat in a parked car with her 11-year-old son. She said she refused to give the police her details, told one his fly was down and then alleged he exposed himself.

The men will appear on May 12 for a full hearing on name suppression.

Both men will defend the charges in July.

The suppression orders mean that nzherald.co.nz has had to remove the names of the men from earlier stories, which have been available on the website since mid-January.

- NZ HERALD ONLINE