The teenager at the centre of a kidnapping trial has described the moment he was locked in a cell by two senior police officers in 2015.
Inspector Hurimoana Dennis and Sergeant Vaughan Perry are accused of carrying out an elaborate "mock arrest" of the 17-year-old in an attempt to stop him from having underage sex with a 15-year-old girl.
It had all the elements of a teenage love story gone wrong. Boy meets girl, family disapproves and these two senior police officers are caught in the middle.
The girl's parents weren't worried, but the boy's family were. And things came to a head during an argument at an east Auckland reserve.
Police were called in, as well as a friend of the 17-year-old's parents - Inspt Dennis.
The teen told the court that Dennis "said that he had heard things about what my family told him, and it is not good that me and her are in underage relationship".
"I said to him I am here because I love that girl over there."
He promised Dennis he wouldn't see his girlfriend again, and was taken back to his grandfather's house.
But he then "got out of the toilet window and climbed down two stories to get down to the bottom of my grandfather's house".
He ran 30 minutes to his girlfriend's house. The boy's mother then reported her own son to police for underage sex. An investigation was launched, and no charges were laid.
But arrangements were still made for him to visit the Auckland Central Police Station for a "brief formality".
Instead, the 17-year-old told the court he was cornered by Dennis.
"He said to me I could either go to Australia, or option two he would take me downstairs and I would be charged for statutory rape."
The teen was then booked and processed as if he'd been arrested.
All of that was overseen by duty custody Sergeant Vaughan Perry.
The teen said: "I was still speechless and still very frightened".
"I felt at that time that I couldn't get up, because of the intimidation."
He was locked in a holding cell, and told he'd end up there if he didn't make the right choice.
He told the jury: "at that stage I broke down."
"I was cold, scared and helpless."
The teen says Dennis then asked him again if he'd stay or go, and he agreed to move to Australia. But Dennis denies threatening to lay charges, and says he was only trying to act in the best interest of the teen.
Newshub.
