Hide keeps pressure on Benson-Pope

Rodney Hide (left) and David Benson-Pope

Act party leader Rodney Hide says he intends to lay a fresh complaint with police against social development minister David Benson-Pope before the end of the week.

Mr Hide said at the weekend he intended to make a complaint against the former high school teacher on Monday, but today said it was taking longer than expected and he did not now think he would have it before police until tomorrow or Friday.

He said information in the latest complaints from Mr Benson-Pope's former students -- that Mr Benson-Pope had walked into a girls' shower block, entered their dormitory and slapped a girl on the thigh during an abseiling exercise -- was not part of the police investigation into the Minister last year.

"Police already have a large file, they can reopen it and assess these latest allegations."

Police needed to assess whether the alleged slap on the thigh was an assault and whether any law had been broken when Mr Benson-Pope walked into the girls' showers.

He said another student had contacted him to say they had witnessed another alleged incident "of a similar order" to the thigh slapping allegation.

Mr Hide said he was yet to properly look into this, but if warranted he would include it in the information put to police.

The minister's credibility may be as low as it can go but the social development minister's job is safe after Prime Minister Helen Clark yesterday told Parliament she had no reason to sack him.

National Party MPs went into the debating chamber yesterday determined to nail him for misleading Parliament because in May last year he denied knowledge of any complaints against him during his 24 years as a teacher.

They failed amid a blurred explanation that drew a distinction between a conversation about concerns expressed by parents after the 1997 shower block incident and a letter of complaint that Mr Benson-Pope said he never saw.

The minister cited Bayfield High School's board chairman at the time, a police inspector, and one of its members, a lawyer, as saying they had no recollection of any complaint about him.

It was this situation, Mr Benson-Pope said, which led him to tell Parliament last year he was unaware of any complaints.

In the last three days it has been confirmed that at least two were laid after he went into the female dormitory and shower block at the school camp to tell 14-year-old girls to hurry up and get dressed.

He insisted yesterday he had done nothing wrong, although he apologised to the former students for "any upset".

Miss Clark, satisfied Mr Benson-Pope's answer at the time was "to the best of his recollection", told Parliament she believed he was an honest man.

When National's leader Don Brash wanted to know whether she was going to ask for his resignation, she replied: "No, because I have no reason to."

Dr Brash and National's welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins said it was impossible to believe Mr Benson-Pope could not recall last year the concerns raised by parents in 1997.

They questioned his ability to handle a welfare portfolio.

"What is so special about this minister that he does not have to meet the same standards of honesty expected from beneficiaries?" Ms Collins asked.

"I don't know what is special about this minister but I do believe I'm a hard-working and honest minister," Mr Benson-Pope replied.

Ms Collins said last night his explanation raised more questions than it answered, and she would be back in Parliament today to ask them.

- NZPA 


Benson-Pope: The story so far

* In 1997 when David Benson-Pope was a teacher at Bayfield High School in Dunedin, a parent complained that he walked into the girls' shower block at a school camp to give two girls inside "a hurry-up".

* The two girls and a third girl also complained that Mr Benson-Pope walked into their dormitory at the camp while they were undressing.

* The school principal says he spoke to Mr Benson-Pope about the parent's complaint and changed the school's procedures as a result.

* On May 12 last year Mr Benson-Pope told Parliament: "I have not been guilty of, or involved in, any inappropriate behaviour in my 24 years as a secondary school teacher. As well, I am not aware of any complaint of any kind."

* On Tuesday (after the principal said he did raise the parent's letter of complaint with Mr Benson-Pope at the time) Mr Benson-Pope said he still did not remember seeing it.

What do you think?
* Did David Benson-Pope do anything wrong at the school camp?
* Did he mislead Parliament and the public about what happened?
* Should he resign as a cabinet minister?

Use the link below to send your comments, for possible publication tomorrow in the Herald and on nzherald.co.nz