MAFS participant Chris Mansfield facing must go: domestic violence campaigner

Chris Mansfield's behaviour in ignoring his alleged domestic violence crime in the United States is symptomatic of the problem in New Zealand.

A Married At First Sight participant who has a warrant out for his arrest over an outstanding charge, needs to take responsibility for the allegations against him, a domestic violence campaigner says.

David White, whose daughter Helen Meads was shot point-blank by her husband, Greg Meads in the Waikato in 2010, says otherwise broadcaster MediaWorks could end up a "laughing stock" if he stays.

However, a spokeswoman for the network says filming has already been completed and Chris Mansfield would "not be required by the production or network for any further commitments".

It was revealed yesterday that Mansfield, 39, was arrested in Seattle, Washington in 2009 after a domestic violence complaint.

The Herald has learned the alleged victim's name but chosen not to publish it.

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Mansfield pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanour assault charge flagged domestic violence at his in-custody arraignment on May 4 that year, and released after paying a bail amount of US$950.

He later appeared at a pre-trial hearing on May 18, after which a second was scheduled for June 15. However, Mansfield failed to appear and an outstanding bench warrant for $500 still remains alongside his name.

A spokesperson for the Seattle Municipal Court confirmed: "The court record states that on June 15, 2009 defendant Christopher Rhys Mansfield was not present and a bench warrant was issued by the judge for US$500."

Mansfield is a brand ambassador for Dominion Breweries. The company has been approached for comment.

A spokesperson for Three's owner MediaWorks told the Herald yesterday: "MediaWorks were not aware of these allegations against Chris Mansfield until today. We are looking into it as a matter of urgency."

White said although everybody had a history, it was how they handled it and what they were doing about "so that the history is dealt with in an appropriate manner".

"I absolutely believe that family violence is a learned behaviour so we can unlearn it just as easily in many ways. We can sort the problem."

He was disappointed to hear Mansfield had left America before his case was heard.

"It's a pretty dumb move wasn't it," he said.

White said "in many ways" Mansfield's alleged behaviour "illustrated the whole problem of family violence".

"Some guys just plainly do not take responsibility for their actions and this guy pretty clearly isn't taking responsibility ...

"It's that sort of 'it doesn't matter' attitude that is why we have the problem."

As for what MediaWorks should do, given the new series is just days away from airing, he said they would be best to sit him down and get him to tell his story, "lay it on the table and come up with his explanation as to why he thought he was eligible to go on the show with that in his background".

"If he wants to be taken as a credible guy ... he needs to face up to the music over there and sort it out. "

He also suggested kicking Mansfield off the show entirely.

"For their own image, they're going to have to make an announcement on the programme. Their other option would be to withdraw. If they're going to have any moral standing in any of this ... no matter the contract, I think morally they're going to have to take a stand otherwise they're going to end up being a laughing stock aren't they."

A Mediaworks spokesperson said today they were "shocked by the allegations".

"We can confirm that prior to commencing filming, every participant is subject to a New Zealand criminal record check, participates in a psychiatric assessment and must have been deemed by a professional psychologist to be fit to participate in the format.

"All our participants are required to confirm that they have no undisclosed convictions of any kind and have never been investigated by the police for any criminal activity but not then convicted."

Under New Zealand's privacy law it was "not possible to obtain information about any charges or outstanding warrants (international or otherwise) an individual may face".

"Chris Mansfield had already completed filming prior to these allegations being made, and will not be required by the production or network for any further commitments."

Meanwhile, Season one contestant Haydn Daniels says the vetting was "pretty loose" and only "standard" police checks were performed.

Daniels said the producers "need to be careful about who they put on to these shows" while fellow contestant Andrew Jury said that the vetting needed to be "a little bit more rigorous".