Two senior police officers, accused of kidnapping a 17-year-old boy, have been found not guilty in the Auckland High Court on Thursday.
Inspector Hurimoana Dennis and co-accused Sergeant Vaughan Perry stood trial, after being accused of carrying out an elaborate "mock-arrest" of the teenager in an attempt to sever his ties with a 15-year-old girl in 2015.
The public gallery broke into applause after the verdicts were handed down. Inspt Dennis and Sgt Perry turned to each other in the dock and gave each other a hongi and shook each other's hands. There were also some tears in the public gallery.
The boy's relatives didn't approve of the relationship and had called in family friend Inspt Dennis to help.
The teen said he was taken to the Auckland Central Police Station under false pretences and cornered by Inspt Dennis.
He claimed he was given two options, before he was locked in a cell - he could either stay in New Zealand and be charged with statutory rape, or move to Australia and start a new life.
The teen told the court he was never cautioned or given the right to a lawyer.
He said he was left "cold, scared and helpless", and that the presence and intimidation from Inspt Dennis was "really great".
In his closing arguments, Crown lawyer Brian Dickey told the court that the teen was given no option to leave and felt he had to comply.
"What ought to have occurred is that Dennis should have said this was voluntary, that he could leave at any time," he said.
"At the minimum, that man needed to be told, 'you are not under arrest, there is no requirement to stay, would you like to go?'"
Inspt Dennis' defence lawyer said the case whittled down to the issue of consent and whether the teen knew his trip to the cells was just a visit.
He told the court that Inspt Dennis made it clear the boy wouldn't be staying there, and that the teen never physically or verbally protested. He said Dennis didn't know the boy wasn't consenting.
But the Crown said that wasn't good enough.
"Dennis said, while walking down to the watchhouse, that he didn't have to drag him or push him... so that's consent is it?" Mr Dickey asked.
"The crown says that's not consent - that's the opposite to consent."
Newshub.
