Guilty of deterring witness

A Whangarei woman has been found guilty of trying to dissuade a witness from giving evidence in court.

It took a jury in Whangarei District Court about three hours to reach their verdict on Renee Dudley, 26, on a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

She persuaded Andrea Jenkins, through text messages, not to testify against her father Graeme Jenkins on a charge of injuring with intent to injure, on which there was a hung jury.

Ms Jenkins and the complainant Kerry Harris had given evidence against him which led to his conviction on charges of kidnapping and male assaults female. Dudley told Ms Jenkins that if she did not give evidence during a retrial, the charge would be dropped.

In her closing address, Crown prosecutor Nicole Dore said five days after Jenkins' trial commenced, Dudley started calling Ms Jenkins and Ms Harris bitches. Ms Dore said Dudley questioned the evidence, criticised the judge and the jury and how it came to its decision.

Dudley seemed to know about the prospect of a retrial in August last year and gave advice to Ms Jenkins and Ms Harris not to give evidence. Ms Dore said that after attempts to undermine the judicial process, Dudley had pressured Ms Jenkins not to go to court.

Defence lawyer Nick Leader told the jury the flurry of text messagesjust showed two people trying to work out how the legal process worked.

The women came across each other on Facebook and it had been Ms Jenkins who first raised the issue of a retrial.

On his client posting messages about Jenkins' trial, Mr Leader said people were entitled to have an opinion on the judicial process.

Mr Leader said Dudley simply told Ms Jenkins that if she did not give evidence at a retrial, the charge would be dismissed. She did not say don't go, he submitted.

Dudley will reappear for sentencing on November 11.