Police say sorry to jailed victim

FALSE COMPLAINT: A woman's lies had her man locked up for two days.

Police have made an unreserved apology to a Masterton man who spent two days in custody after his partner made a false complaint and he was arrested on domestic violence charges.

Now his partner will face charges of wasting police time by making a false complaint.

Nerehana Tetahi Wall, 24, originally appeared in Masterton District Court last Tuesday charged with breach of a protection order and was denied bail as he protested his innocence, telling police and the court he had been living with his partner for months without incident.

He was back in court on Thursday before Judge Tony Walsh where police formally apologised and withdrew the charge.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Garry Wilson said the woman claimed Mr Wall had tracked her down whenever she moved and she returned home last weekend to find him inside her home.

"She said she was too scared to ask him to leave so approached police."

However, Mr Wall was adamant they had been living together there for some time.

Following a number of enquires police confirmed he was telling the truth, Mr Wilson said. She had given false information because she was on a sole-parent benefit and didn't want to be caught, the sergeant told the court.

"He has spent two days in custody ... we can only apologise for believing what she said which was untrue ... he protested it was a false allegation because she was on the DPB."

Work and Income would be notified by police about her domestic position and the woman interviewed and charged in regard to the false complaint, he said.

Outside court Mr Wilson said they were disappointed to find the woman had lied.

They always took domestic violence cases seriously, he said.

"With domestic violence we can't afford to dither with allegations because things can escalate incredibly rapidly, as we all know ... we take a strong stance so when this sort of thing happens it compromises all the other genuine cases where people really are at risk. We take a strong stance with these guys and we equally take a strong stance with false complaints ... it's disappointing.

"Some people seem to think they can use the system for their own means at the expense of other people's liberty. There are serious consequences."