Outrageous Charge Against Respected Policeman

19th October 2016

Inspector Hurimoana Dennis is a well respected and highly experienced South Auckland policeman – well enough regarded to be a strategic advisor in Maori affairs to the police hierarchy. Inspector Dennis now faces a charge of kidnapping – a strike offence – over a “mock arrest” of a 17 year old boy who was having underage sex with a 15 year old girl.

“Sensible sentencing is outraged by such a charge being brought against this long serving and well regarded policeman – in fact we believe Inspector Dennis deserves to be commended for a 21st century version of the ‘kick up the backside’ for a young offender rather than charged with anything, let alone a strike offence carrying 14 years in prison” said Sensible Sentencing founder Garth McVicar.

“Not only was Inspector Dennis trying to prevent ongoing illegal sex with an underage girl, but he was doing it at the request of the boy’s own whanau, who disagreed strongly with the boy’s actions and the relationship” McVicar said. “We understand that the boy’s whanau are appalled by the decision to charge Inspector Dennis, and remain solidly in support of him”

“Inspector Dennis was using an innovative strategy to try and solve on-going criminal and potentially harmful activity, a problem which had been unable to be fixed using more politically correct methods. In times past – when underage sex could quite rightly itself become the subject of a charge against the male involved – someone like Inspector Dennis might have literally given the offender a smack, and warned of worse if he did not desist. Those methods seemed to work; our juvenile crime rate is now many times what it was then” said McVicar

“Inspector Dennis deprived this lout of his liberty for half an hour – boo hoo. Now, even if he is acquitted or discharged without conviction, he faces the probable loss of his career, and irrevocable damage to his mana among the Maori community. We strongly suspect Inspector Dennis has trodden on the wrong toes at Police Headquarters, who will have approved this prosecution” said McVicar.

“Sensible Sentencing is normally solidly behind the police in the difficult and demanding job they face to keep us all safe. Not this time. This decision is an outrageous use of an excessively heavy hand, and we deplore it. We offer our condolences and full support to Inspector Dennis” ENDS

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