MacGregor was 'forward' to Craig - Conservative Party donor

  • 22/09/2016
Laurence Day
Laurence Day

Hamilton businessman Laurence Day didn't hide what he really felt about Colin Craig's former press secretary Rachel MacGregor in court on Thursday, twice saying she was behaving in a forward manner to the party leader.

Mr Day, who alongside his wife Katrina donated $675,000 to the Conservative Party's election campaign in 2014, was appearing in the Auckland High Court for a defamation case against Mr Craig by Taxpayers' Union executive director Jordan Williams.

"I would never in a thousand years have guessed she was being sexually harassed in the way she was behaving towards Colin," he said.

Mr Day questioned why Ms MacGregor stayed in her job if sexual harassment had been going on since the 2011 election.

"I observed her working there [and], if anything, I would say she's forward," he said.

"I saw the way she behaved, and she behaved quite relaxed, she never was afraid around anybody or around Colin, she was very forward, she was very confident in the party."

Ms MacGregor has given evidence that at first she thought Craig was fun and the pair had kissed on election night - but she ended up believing he was dodgy and, in her words, "a douchebag".

"You've got an older guy and a younger woman who flatters him and makes him up and tells him what to say in meetings, but she's his press secretary. If it had been a male press secretary he wouldn't have been so flattering," he said.

Mr Day was asked what he thought of a poem written by Mr Craig to Ms McGregor in which he describes her skin as soft. He said he deemed it inappropriate.

Mr Craig stood down as leader of the Conservative Party in June last year, and has denied sexually harassing anyone.

The trial continues.

Newshub.