Police will not investigate whether supporters of sports broadcaster Tony Veitch broke the law by altering the testimonials of two high-profile New Zealanders - unless the writers lay a formal complaint.
Herald inquiries revealed that references from squash champion Dame Susan Devoy and Olympic chef de mission Dave Currie were changed before being submitted to the sentencing judge. Both thought their words would be used to help Veitch get his passport returned, not in sentencing submissions. Veitch had pleaded guilty to assaulting his former girlfriend. A search of the court file revealed that paragraphs referring to the passport were removed from the references.
Police sought legal opinions from the Crown Law Office and internal lawyers. Yesterday, spokeswoman Noreen Hegarty said police had considered the issue and would not be taking any action "at this point". She added: "If there was to be a formal complaint received from any of the letters' authors, police would reassess that decision."
Police let Veitch references alone
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