KEY POINTS:
Tony Veitch will "strenuously" defend six charges of assault and one count of injuring with reckless disregard, a court heard today.
After his brief Auckland District Court appearance he said he was "relieved to be going forward" and now knows what he is "up against".
"While I am
shocked and also saddened that it has got this far, in terms of all the allegations and the charges, I am more determined than ever to fight to clear my name," Veitch said.
He said there were two sides to every story and declined to answer questions from the media.
Earlier this afternoon, the police issued a statement saying the 34-year-old had been arrested and charged with six counts of male assaults female and one count of injuring with reckless disregard.
The charge of male assaults female carries a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment for each count, while injuring with reckless disregard carries five years.
Veitch's former partner Kristin Dunne-Powell has alleged he assaulted her and police have been investigating since she laid a formal complaint last month.
The charges laid today related to alleged offences between 2002 and January 2006, police said.
Charge sheets at the court showed the alleged assaults took place at Mangawhai, Rotorua and Auckland.
Veitch's lawyer, Stuart Grieve QC, told the court that all of the charges would be "strenuously defended". He declined to comment outside.
Veitch was remanded on bail until a depositions hearing scheduled for September 29 and was ordered to surrender his passport and not to attempt to contact or associate with Ms Dunne-Powell.
He stood in the dock in a dark suit and blue shirt, supported in the court by members of his and his wife's families.
His wife Zoe Halford declined to comment when approached by media.
Home searched
Officers on Friday executed a search warrant at Veitch's Herne Bay home and his lawyers visited the Lawrence St house.
A spokeswoman said investigators had retrieved some items, and the house occupants, who were present for the search, had co-operated fully.
Veitch resigned from his roles at Radio Sport and TVNZ after almost a fortnight of speculation over the incident.
Last December, Veitch met a senior TVNZ lawyer and executives Jeff Latch, Anthony Flannery and Peter Parussini and told them about the incident.
There are questions about exactly what he said but TVNZ said it was not reported to chief executive Rick Ellis.
TVNZ chairman Sir John Anderson has written a report for Broadcasting Minister Trevor Mallard.
Veitch agreed to pay Ms Dunne-Powell $150,000 compensation last December after nearly three months of negotiations.
He also agreed to make a further $5000 contribution to a women's anti-violence group.
