Stacy Squires/Things
Charges against a man were dropped after a police officer intervened. (File photo)
It has been determined that a Northland police officer improperly influenced the prosecution of the son of a man he knew personally.
The son was charged with assault after beating a woman outside a bar on Whangārei’s Vine Street.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority found that the senior officer had interfered with the prosecution, leading to the assault charges being dropped.
The prosecutor knew the man’s father as a business acquaintance, the decision said, and told the prosecutor it was a first-time charge and should be dropped.
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The authority said it was convinced that the officer had a conflict of interest and that the father had contacted because of their relationship.
In texts seen by the authority, the father asked the officer if he had made any progress with his son’s situation.
Alden Williams/Stuff
A Northland police officer “made it clear” to a prosecutor that he had a personal relationship with a man accused of assault. (File photo)
“I’ll call this afternoon,” the officer replied.
The son told authorities he had decided not to make a statement after his father spoke to the officer.
The authority found it inappropriate for the officer to be involved in that conversation and for him to advise the father that the son should not make a statement.
The officer also approached the prosecutor and “made it clear” that he knew the man’s partner and son could be considered for distraction.
The prosecutor told the authority he had told the officer: “Look, since there might be a personal relationship or an alleged relationship, let me handle it. I’m going to look into it and let you know how it goes.”
Upon reviewing CCTV footage of the alleged assault with the officer, the prosecutor decided “it was self-defense”.
He had been fighting with the woman’s boyfriend when he fell out and had contact with her.
“He was at a stage where he had his back against a wall and in the circumstances I would have done the same.”
The prosecutor said the son had tried to run away from the woman’s boyfriend, who was aggressive towards him. It was not reasonable to sue, he said.
The authority found that the officer “used his position as a senior member of the police” to influence the outcome of the prosecution and the prosecutor succumbed to this.
The officer considered the son a “good child,” the decision said.
Northland District Police Inspector Tony Hill acknowledged the decision on Thursday.
“Police accept the IPCA’s finding that there was a conflict of interest for the senior officer and that he should not have been involved in the case,” Hill said.
“A labor investigation has been completed.”