Police should 'consider apology to Veitch'

Tony Veitch during a 2009 appearance in Auckland District Court. Photo / NZPA

The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) has recommended the police force apologise to sports broadcaster Tony Veitch after a file containing unsubstantiated claims relating to his 2008 assault on then-girlfriend Kristin Dunne-Powell was released to media.

Veitch pleaded guilty in Auckland District Court in April 2009 to assaulting his former partner with reckless disregard for her safety.

He was fined $10,000, ordered to do 300 hours community work, and placed under supervision for nine months.

The following month, without consulting Veitch or his lawyer Stuart Grieve QC, police released 358 documents containing details on six original charges of male assaults female.

The Crown did not proceed with the charges in court and they were subsequently dismissed.

Veitch then laid a complaint against police, saying if there was any indication the documents were going to be released to media he would have defended all the allegations.

In a report released today, IPCA chairwoman Justice Lowell Goddard said police made a number of errors when releasing the documents after a request under the Official Information Act (OIA).

Those errors included not consulting with Veitch or Mr Grieve and the "unjustified and undesirable" release of untested allegations.

Justice Goddard said police had a duty to properly inform the public of their activities but that duty had to be balanced with privacy rights.

"In this case they were not, which is undesirable," she said.

However, Justice Goddard also said it was not up to police to balance media debate or discussion. "That is not consistent with the role of police in administration of justice."

The case, for which there was no precedent, had wider public interest implications, she said.

"The issues have implications beyond their personal and professional effect on Mr Veitch and raise questions of public importance around personal information held by police."

Justice Goddard recommended police "consider making a public apology, the wording of which should be consulted and agreed beforehand with Mr Veitch".

Auckland City district commander George Fraser said police would consider consulting with both Veitch and Mr Grieve ov er an apology.

He also said police had since overhauled procedures for dealing with OIA and Privacy Act requests.

"The officer overseeing the investigation was under pressure on account of other serious crime investigations that he was leading at the time," he said.

"As a result he did not provide Mr Grieve QC with the opportunity of review, as he had earlier indicated he would. The officer has acknowledged this and has apologised."

- NZPA