Rape threat made to MP

Katherine Rich

Police and Parliamentary Services Security are investigating 18 obscene and threatening telephone calls directed at National MP Katherine Rich.

All were of a sexually violent nature and appear to have been made by the same two men on Thursday night.

Six messages were left on the answer machine at Mrs Rich's Dunedin electorate office between 9.50pm and 10.30pm and another dozen on a party supporter's answer phone.

The telephone numbers were obtained from advertisements that asked National Party voters to call if they needed a ride to a polling booth on Saturday.

Contacted last night, Mrs Rich said she had not listened to the messages and did not intend to for her "own well-being".

Her electorate agent, Robyn Broughton, heard the messages and transcribed them.

"It is not news for MPs to get hammered, but people forget we have staff. This sort of thing is not fair on them," Mrs Rich said.

Ms Broughton described the messages as the worst she had ever heard.

She would not detail the messages, saying their content was "not printable". But she revealed they involved threats of violence, rape and "sexually depraved acts" against Mrs Rich.

"It takes a bit to shock me, but after I had listened to them I felt nauseous for the rest of the day. There was something sinister about them. These people well and truly crossed the line."

She immediately informed Parliamentary Services Security in Wellington, who informed the police. Dunedin police were unable to comment last night.

- OTAGO DAILY TIMES