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Tim Shadbolt has been accused of trivialising domestic violence after saying that friends were now referring to him as "Tim the Muss" and the "Paul McCartney of Invercargill".
Shadbolt made the comments following a Herald on Sunday article last week, where his former wife Miriam Cameron claimed he was "a wife-beater, a serial adulterer and a chauvinistic father who put the pursuit of political power and public office above his family".
In the article, Cameron says she sought hospital treatment for two beatings she received from Shadbolt - one in 1971 and the other in 1989, where she claims Shadbolt punched her in the face at least five times after she accused him of being a compulsive liar. She said she was treated at North Shore accident and emergency for two black eyes and gashes to her face.
In yesterday's Southland Times, Shadbolt - a former Auckland lightweight boxer - wrote that there was another side to the story. He said some of his friends were now referring to him as "Tim the Muss" or the "Paul McCartney of Invercargill". This, he said, was not because family problems were considered frivolous, but "because one way or another we have all experienced similar issues, whether it's with our parents, brothers or sisters, uncles or aunts, children or grandchildren."
"Domestic violence is a serious issue, but the question must be asked. Is Sir Paul McCartney really a wife beater, or is his estranged wife just a gold digger who is out for revenge? As a disabled woman, she [Heather Mills] naturally attracts sympathy and she provided graphic and vivid descriptions of the beatings she received, but somehow I couldn't help feeling that there was more to this story than the shock, horror sensations of the gutter press."
National Collective of Independent Women's Refuges chief executive Heather Henare said Shadbolt's reference to "Tim the Muss" clearly made light of what was a serious problem in New Zealand. As a high-profile mayor, he should be setting a better example: "If he was a stand-up man he would be taking some responsibility for his actions and saying violence in this country is not OK. That is the sort of leadership I expect from people like Tim Shadbolt."
Cameron, meanwhile, said yesterday that if there was another side to the story, she would like to hear it. "He [Shadbolt] can say what he likes. I have told the truth, and my conscience is clear."
Last week, Shadbolt's partner Asha Dutt told the Southland Times that she "[considered] the allegations of violence to be completely inconsistent with Tim's gregarious character and gentle nature".
