A man, who is not currently a Member of Parliament, has been found guilty of sexually abusing two teenage boys he mentored at a sports club in the mid to late 1990s.
A jury convicted him on eight counts of indecent assault following a week-long trial in August at the Auckland District Court. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison, with his application for permanent name suppression denied.
His lawyer Ian Brookie has confirmed that he will appeal both his convictions and sentence, as well as the decision to deny name suppression.
The appeal is scheduled for February 13 at the Court of Appeal in Wellington, with interim name suppression granted until the appeal is heard. The Crown, victims, and several media outlets opposed his continued suppression of identity.
If someone gets a conviction they should be named. The only time suppression is warranted is if the VICTIM wants it. So tired of our “justice” system. I mean look at the recent behaviour of Judges and lawyers. Disgraceful.