Latest news with #conduct
ABC News
4 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Astronomer CEO Andy Byron resigns after Coldplay concert saga
Tech CEO Andy Byron has resigned after being caught in an embrace with his company's chief people officer at a Coldplay concert. "Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted," Astronomer said in a statement. "Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met." Astronomer says it will begin searching for its next chief executive as the company's co-founder and chief product officer, Pete DeJoy, serves as interim CEO.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Kiwi rower Zack Rumble apologises, cops booze ban and a fine over Seattle incident
Photo: Steve McArthur A top Kiwi rower who was arrested in Seattle after a post-regatta celebration bolted from Police and hid in a bush while being questioned over an alleged assault, official documents say. As first reported by RNZ in May, Zack Rumble, a member of the New Zealand men's elite team, missed his flight home from the US with his team as he was in police custody . He has now admitted his actions were "not okay", is banned from drinking while representing Rowing NZ and is on a final warning. The 3 May incident prompted Rowing NZ to launch an independent review of the tour. The review, led by Don Mackinnon, found Rumble's actions amounted to significant breaches of Rowing NZ's code of conduct and his athlete agreement. In a statement, Rowing NZ chief executive Simon Wickham, said a range of sanctions will be imposed, including a "significant financial penalty" and a final written warning. Rumble said he "deeply regrets" his actions. "I take full responsibility for my actions, what I did was wrong, and I acknowledge that it was not okay, and will never be acceptable. I am doing everything possible to ensure that an event like this never happens again." Rowing NZ has previously declined to provide any details of what led to one of its athletes being detained for nearly 48 hours at Washington State's King County Correctional Facility. However, the official arrest report, obtained through the Seattle Police Department's public records office, has shed further light on the incident. The report says Rumble was arrested on two counts of assault and one of obstructing a public officer following a dramatic escalation of events as a result of Rumble fleeing from police during questioning. The charges against the young rower were later dismissed. Zack Rumble (third from left) is a member of the New Zealand's men's four crew. Photo: © Rowing NZ 2025 According to the documents, police were called to the Seattle Yacht Club at 10.43pm following reports of "two intoxicated guests fighting". On arrival at the yacht club, officers were flagged down by staff and pointed in the direction of Rumble. The Kiwi was described by officers as initially being cooperative. However, according to the officer questioning Rumble, while she was awaiting her colleague to gather witness statements, the young rower took a video call from a friend who encouraged him to join them at another party. "About 30 seconds later, Rumble said, 'alright, bye', and pushed me on my left shoulder and took off running eastbound," the officer described in her report. As her male colleague gave chase on foot, a member of the yacht club pulled up in their pick-up truck and offered the officer a ride. She climbed into the bed of the truck and joined the pursuit of the Kiwi athlete. Rumble was found hiding under a bush in the front yard of a residential property about 400m away, according to the report. The officer described Rumble as being "noncompliant in coming out with his hands up". He was eventually detained by another officer and taken into custody at 11.58pm. The New Zealand rowing team made up of a men's and women's eight had been invited guests of the yacht club having competed in the prestigious Windermere Cup, which is traditionally held on the opening day of the boating season in Seattle. According to the event's website, prizegiving festivities kicked off at 12.30pm. Ten hours later, Rumble was at the yacht club. According to witness reports obtained by Seattle Police, Rumble had been causing "multiple disturbances" at the party, including throwing empty cups at other patrons. Eventually, Rumble left the group. When he attempted to go back inside the party, one of the patrons tried to talk to Rumble and advised him to go home as his teammates had left. The report states: "Rumble then reached around and grabbed [the victim] around his waist. [The victim] advised that Rumble lifted him up off the ground" and he feared he would be thrown to the ground. Another patron then intervened and pushed Rumble into the wall to stop him from hurting the victim, according to witness statements. The young Kiwi received a cut above the eye in the scuffle. When questioned by officers, Rumble gave several different versions of events. "When officers confronted Rumble about his changing story, he advised that he did not remember what happened." The officer observed that Rumble appeared "highly intoxicated" but was "cooperative the entirety of the time of waiting" until he fled the scene. She said Rumble ignored several commands from Police to stop. The "distressing" events in Seattle sparked major logistical and financial headaches for Rowing NZ officials. The national body previously told RNZ one of the coaching staff remained in the US to support Rumble as he dealt with law enforcement. "This was a distressing time for the athlete and our team members and Rowing NZ has worked hard to make sure the athletes and coaches in our care have the support around them they need," Wickham said. Upon the team's return, Rowing NZ engaged prominent sports lawyer Don Mackinnon to lead an independent review of the tour to "seek learnings and recommendations". But the national body's handling of the episode has reportedly caused division among the athletes in its elite squad. Rumble was allowed to travel to Europe last month to compete in World Cup events in Italy and Switzerland as part of the men's four crew, leading to concerns it demonstrated a lack of accountability for bad behaviour. Zack Rumble (third from left) in action with the men's four crew at the World Cup in Varese, Italy in June. Photo: © Rowing NZ 2025 Wickham said Rowing NZ's response had been measured and appropriate. "Rowing NZ felt it was important to gather and consider all information before any decisions were made in regard to this tour and any future tours. The independent review ensured that any members of our team had the opportunity to express any views or concerns they had about the tour in confidence." Following the completion of the review and discussions with Rumble, Rowing NZ imposed a range of sanctions and remedial actions. The sanctions include a "significant financial penalty" and a final written warning, "understanding any further breaches of the athlete agreement, code of conduct or Rowing New Zealand's core values may jeopardise Zack's future in the programme". Rumble has also agreed to undergo professional counselling and complete an alcohol education course. He will be barred from drinking any alcohol while representing Rowing NZ, at least until the education and counselling programmes are completed. The young athlete will formally apologise to Rowing NZ and athletes and staff affected. Wickham declined to release the full review, but he said findings indicate Rowing NZ can be confident the full squad up "behaved in accordance with expectations" on the tour, "the significant exception to that being Zack Rumble's behaviours on the last evening". "Rowing NZ will continue to ensure that expectations around behaviours of our team (athletes, staff and all support team members) are clear and that being positive role models, being professional and maintaining high personal standards are a part of who we are and what we do," said Wickham. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Min Sanjay Yadav among 4 acquitted in 2014 assembly polls MCC case
Dumka: State cabinet minister and Godda RJD MLA Sanjay Prasad Yadav, along with three others, was acquitted by a local MP-MLA court of the sub-divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM), Dumka, on Thursday in the 2014 assembly elections model code of conduct (MCC) violation case for lack of evidence. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The accused were charged with the allegations of putting flags of their respective political parties and opening party offices at public places in violation of the MCC. The then block development officer (BDO) of Mahgama, Payal Raj, had lodged an FIR against the then RJD candidate Yadav, the then BJP candidate Raghunandan Mandal, the then JMM candidate Rajesh Mandal, and the then JVM (P) candidate Sanjiv Anand. Defence lawyer Dharmendra Yadav said, "Sections 123 and 133 of the People's Representation Act, 1951, and Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984, were imposed against the four. Raghunandan Mandal had died during the course of the trial. Remaining three were acquitted by the court on Thursday as the prosecution failed to prove the case." After the verdict, Godda RJD MLA Yadav said, "Cases are often lodged out of political vendetta in politics. Around 95% of such cases are lodged falsely to settle political scores." RJD-led alliance would secure people's mandate in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections scheduled later this year, the minister said after coming out of the courtroom.
Telegraph
02-07-2025
- Telegraph
First Sea Lord stripped of rank over affair with younger officer
Sir Ben Key has been stripped of his rank after being dismissed from the Royal Navy for having an affair with a subordinate. The former First Sea Lord was sacked from the Navy's top job earlier this year after it was discovered he had had an affair with a colleague. The Telegraph revealed last month that the affair was exposed after the husband of the female colleague Sir Ben was having the affair with filed a complaint. An investigation into his behaviour has now been completed by the Ministry of Defence, and Sir Ben has had his service terminated and been stripped of his commission. The investigation, which took two months to conclude, found Sir Ben's behaviour had fallen 'far short of values and standards expected of Service Personnel'. Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said: 'We expect the highest standards of behaviour from our Service Personnel and our Civil Servants. 'We investigate all allegations of inappropriate behaviour and will take robust action against anyone found to have fallen short of our standards, regardless of their seniority.' Sir Ben, 59, said that he was grateful for the support of his wife and family. He said: 'Serving as First Sea Lord has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, and I pay tribute to the dedicated and professional Officers, Sailors, Royal Marines and Civil Servants who make up the Royal Navy. 'I deeply regret my conduct in the spring of last year, which fell well below the standard I set for myself and that which I set for the Royal Navy. As such, I fully accept the decision of the Defence Council. 'I am very sorry to those I have hurt personally, and I apologise to everyone who serves with the Royal Navy. 'Finally, I am very grateful for the support of my wife, family and friends during a very difficult time.' A source told The Telegraph that when Sir Ben's affair was reported to the MoD, he tried to go away 'quietly', however an investigation was insisted on. While Sir Tony, CDS, was inclined to let Sir Ben retire quietly to avoid embarrassment, General Dame Sharon Nesmith, the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, and John Healey, the Defence Secretary, felt an inquiry should take place. Sir Ben will continue to receive his pension despite his dismissal from service. It is the first time in 500 years that the head of the Royal Navy has been investigated for misconduct.
RNZ News
28-06-2025
- RNZ News
Waikato police officer makes 1700 off-duty database queries
By Al Williams, Open Justice reporter of Photo: 123RF A police officer made around 1700 checks of a person on the police database while off-duty for non-work-related reasons, claiming they believed doing so would make them a "good cop". The Waikato officer's actions led to an investigation that involved an audit of their use of the database. It identified around 1700 queries conducted by the officer between March 2023 to October 2024 while off-duty, according to a report by the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA). The investigation found that, except for "a check that was probably work-related", the officer did not have a work-related reason for any of the queries. As a result, it was found their actions breached police policy and the code of conduct. The officer acknowledged that their use of the database was wrong. They said the checks were for their own information, as they mistakenly believed it would make them a "good cop". An employment process was undertaken to address the breaches. The IPCA's investigation report said the authority oversaw the police investigation and agreed with the outcome, which was not mentioned in the report. But the authority considered there was sufficient information available to suspect the officer had committed an offence under the Crimes Act by accessing the database for non-work-related reasons. "Accordingly, the Authority recommended that Police conduct a criminal investigation as well as an employment investigation at the start of their process," the report said. Relieving Waikato District Commander Superintendent Scott Gemmell said police considered the case did not meet the threshold for prosecution and the officer was subject to an employment process. "NZ police rightly hold all staff to high standards. The misuse of the National Intelligence Application [NIA] is not tolerated and if an employee is found to have inappropriately accessed or misused information, a disciplinary process with appropriate sanctions will be applied." However, Gemmell did not provide the outcome of the process. "Police have the same privacy obligations as any employer, and as such, does not comment on individual employment matters." He said police were focused on performance improvement and expectation setting and this year all staff had been "firmly" reminded that NIA searches must be conducted for legitimate work-related purposes only. The IPCA's report came within days of it being revealed that 50 police employees snooped into the file relating to the death of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming without good reason. An Official Information Act request released to NZME confirmed there have been 76 instances of misuse of the database this year. - This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
