Woman held in case of mistaken identity to seek compensation

Kylie Maree Wilson

An Auckland woman who spent a night in police cells in a case of mistaken identity says she will be seeking compensation from the police.

Kylie Maree Wilson was stopped in her car at a routine checkpoint in Auckland on Tuesday -- her 22nd birthday -- and asked by police to identify herself.

She did not have a driving licence and presented a passport instead, Ms Wilson said.

Police matched her name with a person of a similar age and with the same name who was wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant.

Ms Wilson was held in police cells for about five hours and appeared in Waitakere District Court on Wednesday, where the case was thrown out.

She was reportedly strip-searched during her incarceration.

Ms Wilson told National Radio today she would be making a complaint to the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) and seeking compensation.

She said she had been mistaken for the other Kylie Wilson before but police had compared birthdates and let her go.

"This time I was arrested. They said that I was (using) an alias and I was known to tell lies and I was a good actor.

"They wouldn't give (me) the time of day."

Ms Wilson said she was not able to contact a lawyer until 6pm on Tuesday -- five hours after being detained.

Police told her they may not be able to speak to her lawyer that night because they were "busy" and she missed an appointment with her lawyer the next morning because police did not get her to the court on time, she said.

"When I got to the police station they were going to charge me with using false identification but then they rung (the Department of) Internal Affairs who said 'no the identification is correct', but they still held me there anyway.

"I wasn't actually arrested in the first place; they didn't arrest me or take my fingerprints or a statement, they just put me in a cell and that was that."

PCA head judge Ian Borrin said yesterday no formal complaint had been made but that given comments made in the media, one was expected.

Alan Wilkinson, of Russell, said he had written to the PCA yesterday lodging a complaint.

A 21-year-old Kaitaia woman appeared in Kaitaia District Court yesterday in relation to outstanding court warrants.

"The woman called at the Kaitaia police station voluntarily... as a result of publicity concerning a case of mistaken identity in Auckland involving a female of similar age," Senior Sergeant Gordon Gunn said.

- NZPA, HERALD ONLINE STAFF