Labour camp alleged sexual assault victim lays police complaint

  • Updated
  • 14/03/2018

Police have confirmed one of the teenage victims of Labour's alleged summer camp sexual assaults has asked for an investigation.

Labour Party's general secretary Andrew Kirton revealed the information on The AM Show on Wednesday.

"I was informed yesterday by one of the families that they are now contacting the police about this," he says.

Police encourage "anyone with information they wish to discuss with police, or matters they wish to report, to contact us."

Four 16-year-olds were allegedly harassed or assaulted by a 20-year-old man at Young Labour's summer camp in Waihi last month, according to Newsroom. The man allegedly put his hand down the pants of three of the four victims.

Labour did not inform the police, the Prime Minister or the alleged victims' parents about the incidents. Mr Kirton says it was left to the victims to make the decision whether police would be involved.

"We should have made it clearer to those victims of last month's incident that we could facilitate going to the police on their behalf," he told host Duncan Garner.

"I don't think we were quite clear enough."

He admits Labour handled the situation poorly, and police are involved now.

"If these individuals still want to and have done so, want to take it to the police, then they have our full support," he told The AM Show.

"I'm aware that one of the individuals has started taking that course of action."

Mr Kirton is denying the man is the son of a Labour Party Minister.

However victims advocate Louise Nicholas believes that police should have been involved from the beginning.

"Not to arrest anybody, I think if they [should have] brought in the police - the police specialist team - to come in and talk to the children."

She said police could have talked to the young people and explained what the process would be if they chose to lodge a complaint.

Newshub.