Interesting Names

There are two reasons why you should go and buy today’s Truth.

The first is that we reveal why it was that Labour attacked top cop Mike Bush in parliament:

ONE OF Auckland’s top cops has been boasting about having Deputy Police Commissioner Mike Bush sacked when his brother, Labour leader David Shearer, becomes Prime Minister.

Alan Shearer is the former Manurewa Area Police Commander and used to work under Bush during the years he spent as Counties Manukau district commander.

It is understood some bad blood exists between the pair after Bush removed him as Manurewa Area Commander into a new job at Counties Manukau where he is responsible for “planning and ending family violence” in South Auckland. …

A well-placed police source confirmed that Shearer had been “running his mouth off around town” about having Bush sacked once his brother David became Prime Minister.

“He’s been badmouthing Mike Bush. He is bitter and telling police officers in Counties Manukau that when his brother is Prime Minister he’s going to get Mike Bush,” the source told Truth.

“Alan Shearer is pissed off about being removed from his personal fiefdom in Manurewa and holds Bush responsible.”

Truth attempted to speak to Alan Shearer but he did not return calls.  Read more »

Stephen Franks comments on the changes that Judith Collins is making in Justice to repair the damage caused by Simon Power and the liberal elite he pandered to.

The Hon Judith Collins justifies the ordinary voter’s support for National. Her  preparedness to establish a register of convictions is another example.

Let’s hope that she makes it simple. The current system has converted “open courts and justice being seen to be done” into a hollow slogan. A Press editorial advocates simplicity as far as it goes – but that is not far enough.

The record should be open. What happens in open court should be on that record. It should mean that people ‘live down their crime’ if people who know their offending gain confidence in them from long term reliability. That is not the current version. System defenders claim without research evidence that not being caught and living among unwitting associates is rehabilitation.  Read more »

Phil Goff broke suppression orders and nothing is going to be done about it unless someone lays a complaint with the Police.

I blogged earlier about Phil Goff breaching suppression orders. I have now listened to his interview this morning where he shows no remorse for his actions.

This is not the first time Mr Goff has misused official material to score a cheap political point though. His infamous leak about the “Gone By Lunchtime”, which he got wrong and was told he got wrong, was extensively run throughout the media?

His defence for breaking suppression orders on NewstalkZB this morning was priceless…but basically boiled down to – I didn’t release personal information -

Phil Goff has breached suppression orders in releasing secret Army documents. I hope the Police and Solicitor-General take as much interest in prosecuting Phil Goff as they did in prosecuting me.

Labour MP Phil Goff appears to have broken the law by releasing pages from a suppressed Court of Inquiry report into the death of a Kiwi soldier in Afghanistan.

Mr Goff has released part of the report into the death of Corporal Doug Hughes which he says reveals “critical deficiencies in the training and deployment of Kiwi troops”.

In February, Coroner Gordon Matenga released his report into Cpl Hughes’ death in April 2011, ruling it was a suicide, and an inquest was not necessary.

All other details of the report were suppressed, “including the report of the Court of Inquiry, in the interests of justice and on the basis of personal privacy”.  Read more »

Are there no sex-ed classes in Somalia or New Zealand for that matter, this alleged rapist has been here for 12 years and is apparently aged 20.

A Hamilton taxi driver allegedly used cardboard to cover-up in-vehicle security cameras as he sexually assaulted two teen girls.

Abdirahim Sheikh Mohamed Guled, 20, faces charges of sexual violation and kidnapping the first victim in March and kidnapping and indecent assault of the second victim this month.

Both victims are aged in their early teens, with one confirmed as 14.

Guled, of Somali descent who has been in New Zealand for the past 12 years, was supported in the Hamilton District Court yesterday by a large contingent of family and other members of the Somali community.

He has been held in custody since his arrest late last week and yesterday applied for bail, which was refused after police argued that he remain in custody.  Read more »

A reader emails about name suppression. My view on this are well known, but some people disagree. They usually as has the reader present a rather academic viewpoint that doesn’t really work in the real world.

Suppressing all details before conviction is essentially censoring the courts totally. Open justice would then cease and you would run the risk of a Star Chamber approach developing. Open Justice is open justice, and any covering of information is censorship. It must be strenuously fought. Often too openness in naming the accused allows other victims to come forward, by suppressing detail of the accused prior to conviction may actually lead to a travesty of justice where additional crimes go unpunished because of secrecy.

Anyway readers, what do you think?

First, thanks for your efforts in exposing so many dodgy goings-on to the daylight.   Whilst I don’t always agree with some of your stances, you are one of the important checks and balances in society.

Regarding publication of the names of those before the courts, I do have trouble seeing the merit of this.  Read more »

Dear Readers,

A serious post.

I am shocked beyond words.  This morning I blogged Let’s get these names out far and wide before name suppression kicks in which quoted the Stuff article by David Carkson naming the two thugs that allegedly bashed up Jesse Ryder.  My choice of title was in jest because too often our courts are willing to protect the “feelings” of thugs and criminals and ignore the public interest of an open and transparent justice system.  I have worried before that we have lost a key element, that of shame for the criminals (and yes sometimes for their families), from our justice process.

Well blow me down, a few minutes ago I received a call from my lawyer informing me that Judge Gary MacAskill has granted interim suppression.  FFS.

Even worse, Judge MacAskill (who readers will no doubt be familiar with being not only bad but also a dud) refused to hear TV3 on the issue of suppression and the public interest.  That is, he ignored the law and refused TV3 it statutory right to be heard.  Read more »

A reader who is a lawyer writes about the recent furore over name suppression, and points out more of Simon Power’s appalling law making abilities:

I suspect you and I disagree rather strongly on name suppression, at least pre-conviction.  The “convict by media” approach is such that publicity of a charge can ruin careers.  That said, on conviction, save as to protect a victim, the circumstances should be truly exceptional before name suppression is granted.  A person convicted after due process (to borrow an Americanism) beyond reasonable doubt can not then expect anonymity.  Indeed public opprobrium is an important element of deterrence against committing crime.

I have not seen the decision of Hubble DCJ and always treat media reports with a degree of skepticism but, in general terms, was a little surprised especially in relation to the name suppression or “name secrecy” as the Herald seemed to decide the new legal term should be.  Read more »

Who on earth would play this sport? Surely it isn’t something that you’d getting any credence from saying you are top player in the sport. Imagine if Michael Williams had pulled these lines out instead of what he actually did say to the Police when pulled over for drink driving.

“Do you know who I am Officer?, I am a top player of polocrosse?”

Polocrosse? I mean the name is just gay, it even looks gay…polo without the hard hammer things:

Polocrosse is a team sport that is played all over the world. It is a combination of polo and lacrosse. It is played outside, on a field (the pitch), on horseback. Each rider uses a cane stick to which is attached a racquet head with a loose, thread net, in which the ball is carried. The ball is made of sponge rubber and is approximately four inches across. The objective is to score goals by throwing the ball between the opposing team’s goal posts.

Anyone who can ride a horse can play polocrosse, which also helps improve riding skills. All ages and abilities are encouraged to play and the Pony Club have recognised polocrosse as a horse sport.

Apparently it is recognised worldwide, barely, and people travel all over the world to play it.  Read more »