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Two investigations have been launched after a government department sent graphic scene photographs of an Auckland man's suicide to a maximum security prisoner - who then allegedly mailed them to the man's grieving partner.
The actions of the Ministry of Justice in sending the inmate the photographs is the focus of one inquiry, while another investigation is under way into why the Corrections Department allowed the prisoner to first receive and then forward the images on to the dead man's partner, whom he had hounded with 200 letters.
The inmate, Glen Dallas Goldberg, 37 - dubbed the country's most notorious stalker - has been charged with criminal harassment after he allegedly used the Official Information Act to acquire the photographs from the ministry.
It is alleged the ministry posted the photographs in June last year to Goldberg, who is serving six years in Auckland Prison at Paremoremo for perverting the course of justice.
Despite claims by Corrections that Goldberg's mail was being rigorously screened, on April 19 this year Goldberg was able to forward the photographs to the dead man's long-term partner, according to police.
Included in the package, police say, was a note explaining to the woman how her partner had killed himself in January 2005. The Herald on Sunday has agreed not to name the woman as it could lead to the identification of her dead partner.
Since Goldberg was jailed in 2004, the woman has received more than 200 letters from him and, as a result, was forced to get a protection order to ensure her safety. Goldberg is up for parole in September.
Ministry of Justice spokesman Stuart White was reluctant to comment about specifics of the case, but said it was up to the coroner to decide which parts of an inquest file should be made publicly available.
Under the Official Information Act, any member of the public can request documents and photographs from an inquest. A decision on what can be released is in the hands of the coroner.
Corrections said it was "hugely sympathetic to the family" and if there were any failures on its part it would look to deal with those. However, it was reluctant to find fault with its mail-screening process, saying it believed it had acted in this case "within our legal ability".
Corrections Northern Regional Manager Warren Cummins said there were no plans to apologise to the woman at this stage.
The five photographs in question were taken by police called to investigate the man's suicide in 2005.
It is alleged Goldberg attached notes to each photograph with comments such as "Gun used for suicide 25.01.05". Another photograph allegedly had an arrow pointing towards where the dead body would have been.
Goldberg appeared in the North Shore District Court last week and entered no plea to the charge of criminal harassment. He was remanded for a status hearing.
The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Senior Sergeant David Pizzini, said police were still gathering information and were keen to establish the identity of an associate of Goldberg's who went to an ASB Bank and obtained the dead man's bank statement.
Details from the statement were allegedly used in a letter to the man's partner.
This is not the first time Goldberg has been accused of harassment. Investigate magazine editor Ian Wishart and his wife Heidi complained to police earlier this year alleging they received threatening mail from Goldberg.
Last year, Goldberg was unsuccessful with a bid to have the Supreme Court overturn some of the 191 convictions he has amassed for stalking and harassing women.
He met his first victim on a bus when he was aged 16, getting her name from a bus pass. He went on to stalk at least another nine women.
The victims were subjected to letters and phone calls, and photographed while at home.
The harassment escalated into threats of violence or kidnapping. According to a 1998 report by psychiatrist Dr Steve Allnutt in 1998, Goldberg was a particularly vindictive individual, driven by a desire to terrorise women.
"In a sense, he could be termed a social terrorist," Allnutt said.
Goldberg was raised in a foster home and had minimal contact with his birth parents.
National's law and order spokesman, Simon Power, said the Opposition would demand answers in the House on Tuesday.
"This is just an appalling systems breakdown. You have to question the intelligence of the people who granted this (Official Information Act) request and then sent it," he said.
Power said the public had a right to know how a prisoner with Goldberg's record could request and access photographs which essentially were from a crime scene.
Meanwhile, Goldberg has asked the Ombudsmen to review Corrections' decision to screen his mail.
The Facts
Glen Goldberg, is accused of sending a suicide victim's partner photographs of the scene after he applied through the Official Information Act to receive information on the death from the coroner.
The Ministry of Justice sent the information and photographs to Goldberg last June.
Despite assurances of mail screening from the Corrections Department, Goldberg was allegedly able to post the images to the man's long-term partner in April as part of a harassment campaign.
