Veitch's wife strikes back

Zoe and Tony Veitch are 'in it for the long haul'. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The wife of Tony Veitch says she has lived with the shadow of Kristin Dunne-Powell hanging over her the entire time she has known her husband.

Zoe Veitch, 27, said her husband's former partner, Dunne-Powell, had had a "hold over us for the majority of our relationship".

Speaking publicly for the first time, Veitch told the Herald on Sunday yesterday that Dunne-Powell appeared to react each time she saw Tony Veitch or the couple together, or if they were photographed socially.

"There was always something from her within a couple of days. It was always very reactionary."

Veitch said that she had hoped once Dunne-Powell was married "she wouldn't be bothering us so much". "I've always said to Tony that if she is happy in her own marriage she will leave us alone."

Her husband and Dunne-Powell had kept in touch through emails and texts after the alleged incident in January 2006 for which Veitch is under police investigation.

"It was always civil, you know, she was always there," Veitch said, something she found "frustrating" at times.

"But we were always very honest and open about it and that's the key."

Veitch said some of the emails from Dunne-Powell indicated she regretted the end of the relationship.

Police are expected to lay charges against Tony Veitch tomorrow after searching his Herne Bay home on Friday. Detectives spent three-and-a-half hours searching the house.

The scale of the police inquiry have shocked the couple.

"We just don't know where they are going with this. It leads us to believe they are investigating a lot more than just one night," Veitch said.

The house search was "horrible". Police had gone through "every room, every drawer. I just cannot believe it has got to this. It is mind blowing".

Police were looking for any connections between her husband and Dunne-Powell, she said.

The police took away Tony Veitch's computer hard drive and mobile phone, her laptop and her sister's laptop, and paperwork including phone and power bills. A detective went through her cellphone at the house but left it with her.

Veitch said the extradordinary lengths the police had gone to made her "feel ill".