Leading entertainment figure case in Rotorua: Man appeals lifting of name suppression

A leading figure in the New Zealand entertainment industry who was on trial for three months still can't be named. Photo / Andrew Warner

A leading entertainment figure sentenced to home detention for indecent assault and attempted sexual violation has appealed a ruling that his name suppression would lapse.

A High Court judge ruled name suppression for the man, who was on trial for three months this year, would lapse at 10am on December 8.

But his lawyer, Ron Mansfield KC, appealed the judge’s decision the day before, and the matter will now be heard by the Court of Appeal. A hearing date was yet to be set.

The man was found guilty by a High Court jury in Rotorua in August of indecent assault by touching a woman’s body under clothing and attempted sexual violation of the same woman.

The woman was hired by the man’s wife to be the family’s babysitter.

Justice Layne Harvey sentenced the man to 12 months’ home detention on November 10 and said during his sentencing the man’s actions were “unjustified” and “unacceptable”.

The jury found the man not guilty of three other charges relating to the victim and 20 other serious sexual and drug-related charges that were later laid by police.

It was alleged he used hard drugs and alcohol to get women to have sex with him. Nine women gave evidence as complainants in the trial.

Crown Solicitor Anna Pollett’s case was that it was a pattern of behaviour for the man to not take no for an answer.

But the defence case centred on the man not denying he lived a life of “sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll” and had affairs - admitting when he took the stand he had cheated on his wife between 30 and 40 times. Mansfield reiterated there was a difference between sexual assault and consensual sex which could be regretted later.

Mansfield said the Crown played a “numbers game” by encouraging more women to come forward, but in doing so had created a “MeToo fest”.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.