Power seeks hard line on court secrecy for celebs

Justice Minister Simon Power. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Justice Minister Simon Power wants to stop the emerging "special class" of high-profile people using their status to get name suppression.

Mr Power strongly signalled he would change the law to stop cases such as the one this month in which a "prominent entertainer" who admitted forcing a teenage girl's face into his genitals was granted permanent suppression because publicity would have a detrimental effect on his career and his record and ticket sales.

The minister said he instinctively disagreed with giving well-known people an advantage when they came before the courts.

"Anybody who makes an application for name suppression should be dealt with on the same grounds, regardless of whether they think they are well known."

Mr Power said he disagreed with the Law Commission's report this week on name suppression which said well-known people should still be able to argue for suppression if publication would cause "extreme hardship".

It said the matter should be left to the discretion of the judge, much as it is now.

The commission had considered going even further and making the impact on well-known people of their names being published something that judges would have to consider. But it was concerned about creating a "special category" of people.

Mr Power said: "I think the people of New Zealand hold the view a special category already exists of people who consider themselves to be well known.

"Whether or not somebody believes they are well known, it should not be a ground in itself for name suppression being granted."

Mr Power said he was yet to take the issue to the Cabinet, and did not know what sort of mechanism he would use to stop it being a factor in getting suppression.

Any law change would be included in the Criminal Procedure Bill next year.

The commission's report, Suppressing Names and Evidence, noted that most submitters did not believe being well known should affect suppression decisions.

Other cases of "celebrity justice" include the 2005 controversy when an All Black was granted permanent name secrecy despite having pleaded guilty to assaulting his pregnant partner.