Police find minister committed assault

Pete Hodgson

Police have found that Health Minister Pete Hodgson committed a technical assault when he grabbed Madeleine Flannagan's arm during a political protest at the University of Otago in September, but will not be charging him.

Both Mrs Flannagan and Mr Hodgson say they are happy with the results of the police investigation.

In a two-paragraph statement last night, Dunedin/Clutha area commander Inspector Dave Campbell said no further action would be taken.

"Due to the minor nature of the incident, the intervention of the criminal law was not warranted."

When contacted at her Dunedin home last night, Mrs Flannagan said she was "stoked".

"I never claimed it was a serious assault.

"The report vindicates me because it says an assault happened and what I said was true."

She laid a complaint of assault, saying the Dunedin North MP grabbed her upper arm to stop her holding up a protest placard behind Prime Minister Helen Clark when she was being interviewed by television journalists.

Mr Hodgson told media at the time that he had touched Mrs Flannagan's arm but had not assaulted her.

He said from Wellington last night he was not surprised by the police findings.

"This was a political stunt from beginning to end. I am sorry police time has been wasted. There was a technical assault when I touched her arm, but that was no different from what I told the public on the day. It was a trivial incident indeed."

Mrs Flannagan said she was not disappointed.

"I felt I had to press charges, but the drama of court was something I didn't need."

But she said she wanted the apology Mr Hodgson told media he would give her for misjudging her intentions towards Helen Clark as threatening.

"I absolutely still want an apology. What he did was outrageous."

Mr Hodgson is the second Dunedin MP and Cabinet minister in less than a month to survive a police investigation.

Late last month, police found there was a prima facie case of historic assault against his Dunedin South colleague, David Benson-Pope, but decided not to charge him.

The fact that two Labour MPs were under police investigation at thesame time was not lost on Mr Hodgson.

"I can't help wondering if that was her [Mrs Flannagan's] intention all along."

- NZPA