Latest news with #JeremyWilkinson
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Soldier admits spying against NZ by trying to give military base maps to foreign country
Today, at Linton Military Camp, he affirmed guilty pleas that he made in March to those charges. However, due to court suppression orders, this is the first time the media have been able to report his plea. In addition to the information the soldier attempted to pass on, he also admitted to accessing the NZDF intranet and gained access to maps and telephone directories of the Woodbourne Air Force base in Blenheim, information on the Kauri Point ammunition depot, an aerial photo of the Air Force base in Auckland, as well as its telephone directory. A Court Martial began at the Linton Military Camp today. Photo / Jeremy Wilkinson The soldier admitted a third charge of possession of footage of the Christchurch mosque shooting, as well as a copy of the shooter's manifesto titled 'The Great Replacement'. Both the video and the text were outlawed by the Chief Censor. The start of today's Court Martial has been five years in the making after the man was first arrested in 2020 following a joint investigation by the NZDF and police. The soldier was originally facing 17 charges, including espionage, but those charges were replaced by attempted espionage, accessing a computer system for dishonest purposes and possession of an objectionable publication. Espionage, commonly referred to as spying, is legally defined as the communication or delivery of information to another country with the intent to prejudice the security interests of New Zealand. The only similar case to date in the country's history occurred roughly 50 years ago when William Sutch was tried and then acquitted in a civilian court of supplying a Russian agent with information. Undercover Operation According to the summary of facts read out this afternoon, the man came to the attention of police following a focus on right-wing extremist groups following the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings. The soldier was identified as a person of interest, and an undercover officer made contact with him, pretending to be an official from a foreign country. They spoke on the phone and agreed to meet up, and the soldier was asked to provide a document outlining the information he was willing to provide, which he did in the form of a handwritten letter. In November 2019, he met with the undercover officer and provided them with a bag containing sensitive information. They met several more times and he handed over further information, including maps, aerial photographs and phone directories for various NZDF bases around the country. Jeremy Wilkinson is an Open Justice reporter based in Manawatū, covering courts and justice issues with an interest in tribunals. He has been a journalist for nearly a decade and has worked for NZME since 2022.
RNZ News
10-07-2025
- RNZ News
Drunk senior lawyer suspended for grabbing colleague's genitals, making lewd comments at Xmas party
By Jeremy Wilkinson, Open Justice reporter of Photo: 123RF A senior lawyer at a big law firm who grabbed a junior colleague's penis at a Christmas party and made lewd comments about people he worked with has been suspended for 15 months. The man, who has interim name suppression, was drunk at two different parties run by his firm several years ago. At the first, he commented about employees' genitalia and sex lives and touched staff inappropriately. At the second party weeks later, he spanked a woman with a piece of wood, kissed her on the top of the head and danced in a sexualised manner. The Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal described the man's behaviour as "appalling and uncouth". A hearing into his conduct was held earlier this year, at which several junior staff gave evidence that they had chosen to downplay how the behaviour affected them for fear of not being hired for a permanent role. Now, the same tribunal has ordered the man to be suspended from practising as a lawyer and to pay a combined $73,000 in compensation and legal fees. The tribunal compared his behaviour to inappropriate conduct by other lawyers it had penalised, such as James Gardner-Hopkins, Richard Dean Palmer and a "Mr Q". Gardner-Hopkins was suspended for touching five interns inappropriately, also at a Christmas party. Palmer was suspended for taking female interns to a sex shop and for a series of inappropriate emails, and Mr Q drunkenly offered a colleague "the best orgasm" of her life in a taxi ride home from a work event. The tribunal found that, in the latest case, the man's conduct was not strictly sexual or predatory, although it had sexual elements to it. In comparing the case to Palmer's, the tribunal said both involved "disregard for junior staff, and in both cases the junior staff were stressed and anxious as a result of the practitioner's conduct" and that this was "more invasive, humiliating and offensive than Mr Palmer's conduct". The tribunal said the man could be described as "completely out of control". 'What I think is funny, other people may not, I suppose' After the two incidents, the senior lawyer apologised to his affected colleagues, referred himself to a psychologist and reduced his alcohol intake significantly, before going sober altogether. He is now approaching four years of sobriety. In his affidavit to the tribunal earlier this year, he described his conduct as a "joke gone too far" and said he hadn't intended to offend anyone. "I've got a forthright sense of humour and can be provocative, and alcohol doesn't help that," he said. "What I think is funny, other people may not, I suppose." The tribunal said the man's sobriety was commendable, and it appeared he had made a full commitment to discovering and dealing with the factors which led him to behave as he did. "We consider that [the lawyer's] response has been significantly better than most other practitioners with whom we have dealt, who have had alcohol misuse problems," the tribunal said in a decision released today. Because of this, it had opted to significantly reduce the period of suspension he might otherwise have been given. "This is because we consider that one of the purposes of suspension, namely the opportunity for rehabilitation, has largely been served. "We are satisfied that he is, in the absence of intoxication, a skilful and solid lawyer and a considerate and supportive colleague and mentor." The man's name will continue to be suppressed to allow him time to appeal against the decision. * This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
Otago Daily Times
17-06-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Paramedic loses medical registration after strangling partner and biting her nose
By Jeremy Wilkinson, Open Justice reporter WARNING: This article discusses domestic violence. 'I'm gonna see you burn at the stake', a paramedic told his partner before biting her nose, pulling her hair and strangling her. The man, who has name suppression and was previously given home detention for the abuse, has now been stripped of his medical licence for at least two years. According to the police summary of facts, the man grabbed his now ex-partner by the arm in July 2021, twisted it behind her back and shoved her against a fridge, denting it. During another incident in 2022, he told her he would 'burn her at the stake' before pulling her by the hair, trying to kick her in the head, and placing his hands around her neck and strangling her. While the man was strangling the woman, he bit into her nose, causing bleeding and bruising around her eyes while their young child watched, pleading for him to stop. The man then picked up his child, placed her in his car and drove roughly two metres before getting out and going back to the woman. He grabbed her by her hair and pulled her to the ground. Neighbours overheard the yelling and called the police, who turned up shortly before 10pm and pushed the man on to a couch in his lounge. The man reacted by unzipping the constable's vest and attempted to get hold of their Taser before eventually being restrained with help from members of the public. In 2023, the man also psychologically abused the woman over the phone while there was a protection order in place against him. After pleading guilty he was given 11 months' home detention by a District Court judge for seven offences relating to the 2022 incident, as well as concurrent terms of three months' home detention for a further five offences. In sentencing, the judge said, 'What happened here was extraordinarily dangerous' and said that it was a 'prolonged instance of family violence' which involved 'serious acts of coercive control to dominate the victim'. 'You can't scream and die at the same time' Following his convictions, a Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) of the Paramedic Council filed charges of professional misconduct against the man at the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, claiming he was no longer fit to work as a paramedic. The PCC said that the man's convictions showed a serious loss of self-control in response to a situation that had made him angry, and his conduct did not reflect the high standards expected of a paramedic. 'It is relevant that paramedics may attend to victims of family violence, and that they may often do so in the victim's own home. 'This practice environment requires a high degree of trust, particularly where patients will often have little to no say in who attends them,' their submissions read. The PCC also noted that the paramedics were required to work closely with other first responders, including police, and that resisting arrest from a constable was particularly concerning. The practitioner provided the tribunal with some context for his offending in that he claimed his partner was using methamphetamine against his wishes, which frustrated him. He said his former partner had sought to minimise her role in the conflict, was pushing an incorrect narrative and had played the victim at every opportunity. '[The ex-partner] stating that I am violent and controlling is an excellent scapegoat position for her behaviour however, not truthful or representative of the situation,' he told the PCC. 'My explanation for assaulting my partner is that I was trapped in an abusive and controlling relationship with her culminating in a predictable explosion of violence as the police, councilors [sic], colleagues, friends and families all avoided the obvious.' The man said he questioned the woman's evidence about the incident where he strangled her. 'You know, she told police 'He grabbed me around the neck with two hands and I thought like I was going to die'. On the video recording, the evidence recording, she's screaming the whole time,' he told the PCC in an interview. 'You can't scream and die at the same time.' The man also made a complaint to the Independent Police Conduct Authority about his arrest and the refusal of police officers to take his concerns about his partner seriously. The man said that if he were working on an ambulance with another paramedic, there would be no reason why a patient wouldn't be able to trust him. Since the offending, he's engaged in non-violence programmes and therapy as well as entering into a new relationship. 'Little evidence of remorse' The tribunal held a hearing into the man's conduct late last year and, in a recently-released ruling, said it was satisfied that the reputation of paramedicine was lowered as a result of his actions. In its ruling, the tribunal said that the man sought to justify his actions and minimise his conduct. 'During his evidence before the tribunal, there was little evidence of remorse. He repeatedly said that [his ex partner] was playing the victim,' the tribunal said. Despite this, the tribunal said that potential patients of health practitioners who had engaged in family violence were not necessarily in danger from them. However, the tribunal noted that the work of a paramedic involves teamwork and high levels of trust between colleagues, and between police and the fire service at callouts, including ones involving domestic violence. 'The lack of respect [the man] showed the police raises serious questions for the tribunal about his ability to work alongside the police in challenging situations. '[He] should not underestimate the levels of discomfort many women feel when in the presence of someone with a history such as his. This applies to his colleagues and health consumers.' The tribunal opted to cancel his registration with the Paramedics Council and forbid him from re-registering for at least two years, and ordered him to pay costs of $26,000. However, this cancellation does not prevent the man from working as an Emergency Medical Technician, the tribunal conceded, noting that the role is similar to that of a paramedic but doesn't require registration. EMTs often assist paramedics who have more advanced training and can take on more complex medical care. The man declined to comment to NZME. FAMILY VIOLENCE How to get help: If you're in danger now: • Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours or friends to ring for you. • Run outside and head for where there are other people. Scream for help so your neighbours can hear you. • Take the children with you. Don't stop to get anything else. • If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay. Where to go for help or more information: • Women's Refuge: Crisis line - 0800 REFUGE or 0800 733 843 (available 24/7) • Shine: Helpline - 0508 744 633 (available 24/7) • It's Not Ok: Family violence information line - 0800 456 450 • Shakti: Specialist services for African, Asian and Middle Eastern women and children. • Crisis line - 0800 742 584 (available 24/7) • Ministry of Justice: For information on family violence • Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga: National Network of Family Violence Services • White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women.
RNZ News
16-06-2025
- RNZ News
Paramedic loses medical registration after strangling partner, biting nose
By Jeremy Wilkinson, Open Justice reporter of The offender was previously given home detention for the abuse. Photo: Supplied/123/RF WARNING: This article discusses domestic violence. "I'm gonna see you burn at the stake", a paramedic told his partner, before biting her nose, pulling her hair and strangling her. The man, who has name suppression and was previously given home detention for the abuse, has now been stripped of his medical licence for at least two years. According to the police summary of facts, the man grabbed his now ex-partner by the arm in July 2021, twisted it behind her back and shoved her against a fridge, denting it. During another incident in 2022, he told her he would "burn her at the stake", before pulling her by the hair, trying to kick her in the head, and placing his hands around her neck and strangling her. While the man was strangling the woman, he bit into her nose, causing bleeding and bruising around her eyes, while their young child watched, pleading for him to stop. The man then picked up his child, placed her in his car and drove roughly two metres, before getting out and going back to the woman. He grabbed her by her hair and pulled her to the ground. Neighbours overheard the yelling and called the police, who turned up shortly before 10pm and pushed the man onto a couch in his lounge. The man reacted by unzipping the constable's vest and attempted to get hold of their Taser, before eventually being restrained with help from members of the public. In 2023, the man also psychologically abused the woman over the phone, while there was a protection order in place against him. After pleading guilty, he was given 11 months' home detention by a District Court judge for seven offences relating to the 2022 incident, as well as concurrent terms of three months' home detention for a further five offences. In sentencing, the judge said, "What happened here was extraordinarily dangerous" and said that it was a "prolonged instance of family violence", which involved "serious acts of coercive control to dominate the victim". Following his convictions, a Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) of the Paramedic Council filed charges of professional misconduct against the man at the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, claiming he was no longer fit to work as a paramedic. The PCC said that the man's convictions showed a serious loss of self-control in response to a situation that had made him angry and his conduct did not reflect the high standards expected of a paramedic. "It is relevant that paramedics may attend to victims of family violence and that they may often do so in the victim's own home. "This practice environment requires a high degree of trust, particularly where patients will often have little to no say in who attends them," their submissions read. The PCC also noted that paramedics were required to work closely with other first responders, including police, and that resisting arrest from a constable was particularly concerning. The practitioner provided the tribunal with some context for his offending, claiming his partner was using methamphetamine against his wishes, which frustrated him. He said his former partner had sought to minimise her role in the conflict, was pushing an incorrect narrative and had played the victim at every opportunity. "[The ex-partner] stating that I am violent and controlling is an excellent scapegoat position for her behaviour, however not truthful or representative of the situation," he told the PCC. "My explanation for assaulting my partner is that I was trapped in an abusive and controlling relationship with her, culminating in a predictable explosion of violence, as the police, councilors [sic], colleagues, friends and families all avoided the obvious." The man said he questioned the woman's evidence about the incident where he strangled her. "You know, she told police, 'He grabbed me around the neck with two hands and I thought like I was going to die'," he told the PCC in an interview. "On the video recording, the evidence recording, she's screaming the whole time, "You can't scream and die at the same time." The man also made a complaint to the Independent Police Conduct Authority about his arrest and the refusal of police officers to take his concerns about his partner seriously. The man said, if he were working on an ambulance with another paramedic, there would be no reason why a patient wouldn't be able to trust him. Since the offending, he's engaged in non-violence programmes and therapy, as well as entering into a new relationship. The tribunal held a hearing into the man's conduct late last year and, in a recently-released ruling, said it was satisfied that the reputation of paramedicine was lowered as a result of his actions. In its ruling, the tribunal said the man sought to justify his actions and minimise his conduct. "During his evidence before the tribunal, there was little evidence of remorse," the tribunal said. "He repeatedly said that [his ex partner] was playing the victim." Despite this, the tribunal said potential patients of health practitioners who had engaged in family violence were not necessarily in danger from them. However, the tribunal noted that the work of a paramedic involved teamwork and high levels of trust between colleagues, and between police and the fire service at callouts, including ones involving domestic violence. "The lack of respect [the man] showed the police raises serious questions for the tribunal about his ability to work alongside the police in challenging situations. "[He] should not underestimate the levels of discomfort many women feel when in the presence of someone with a history such as his. This applies to his colleagues and health consumers." The tribunal opted to cancel his registration with the Paramedics Council and forbid him from re-registering for at least two years, and ordered him to pay costs of $26,000. However, this cancellation did not prevent the man from working as an Emergency Medical Technician, the tribunal conceded, noting that the role was similar to that of a paramedic, but didn't require registration. EMTs often assist paramedics, who have more advanced training and can take on more complex medical care. The man declined to comment to NZME. * This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
RNZ News
03-06-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Lawyer struck off after taking $200k of client funds to escape abusive relationship
By Jeremy Wilkinson, Open Justice reporter of The woman said she lived in constant fear of her husband. Photo: 123RF A lawyer who says she feared for her life at the hands of an abusive husband took at least $200,000 from her clients, partly to escape the relationship. "I understand how on the face this looks like a simple story of a lawyer who misused client funds," she told a disciplinary tribunal today, "but, this is a story of a long shadow of domestic violence". The woman, who has name suppression, said she and her children were in a state of survival for seven years. She said they lived in constant fear of her husband and often had to barricade themselves in a bedroom so he wouldn't hurt them. "The term survival mode does not do justice to the psychological toll," she said. "I genuinely believe we would have ended up as a news headline for a murder suicide." Despite the abuse, the woman continued to operate a successful legal practice, but began dipping into her firm's trust account so she could move cities to escape her husband. Today, the woman told the Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal that taking money from the account, which is used to hold client funds, began as an error. But, she then started taking more in the belief she could repay it. The woman told the tribunal that she accepted she would be struck off for taking the money, some of which she has already repaid, and realises now that she should have shut her firm down when she couldn't cope. "But I loved being a lawyer. "In all the darkness, it was the one thing I was holding onto that made me feel like me." She knew it was wrong Milan Djurich, counsel for the Standards Committee laying charges against the woman on behalf of the New Zealand Law Society, told the tribunal that the woman knew what she was doing was wrong. "It was a high level of theft and a breach of professional standards," he said. According to the charges against the woman, it was one of her clients who contacted the Law Society in 2023, concerned about the lack of contact from the woman after they'd paid a significant deposit. Investigators estimated that there was a shortfall of at least $200,000 in the trust account before taking control of it in December 2023. It was found the woman transferred money out of the trust account and spent it on things like insurance, gym fees, relocation costs, school fees and books and payments on a deposit for a property she'd purchased. There were also several large transfers into her personal accounts, but it's unclear exactly what that money was spent on. The woman's lawyer, Stewart Sluis, said his client didn't have access to the trust account any longer as the Law Society took it over, and she now couldn't determine exactly how much she took, but the Standards Committee accepted that the shortfall was at least $203,000. The woman, who handed in her practising certificate voluntarily, accepted she would be struck from the roll of barristers and solicitors. The woman has recently won a relationship property settlement in the Family Court against her ex-husband. She now plans to use the proceeds to pay the rest of the money she took from her clients. While the woman was granted name suppression, she asked the tribunal to include the context of why she took the money in its written decision. Because the Family Court is strictly suppressed, if she had lost name suppression, the wider context about her husband could not have been referenced by the tribunal, nor reported by NZME. "This is my attempt to tell my side of the story, one shaped by domestic violence and a mental state shattered by fear," she said. "I hope that sharing this story may help other women in the future." The tribunal ordered that the woman be struck off and that she pay legal costs as well as repay the money that was taken from her clients. * This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald . If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
