Convicted officers on full pay

Constables Duncan Hollebon (left) and Brenton Rooney await sentencing in the Dunedin District...
Constables Duncan Hollebon (left) and Brenton Rooney await sentencing in the Dunedin District Court yesterday. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
Two Dunedin constables sentenced on assault charges yesterday, remain suspended on full pay and could stay with the police force.

Brenton Rooney (33), who was found guilty of injuring with intent to injure, and Duncan Hollebon (37), who was found guilty of assault with intent to injure, were sentenced in the Dunedin District Court yesterday.

Both men have to pay their victim, Daniel Wiel, $500 for emotional harm. Rooney was sentenced to two months' community detention with a 7pm-to-7am curfew, and 100 hours' community work, while Hollebon was sentenced to 160 hours' community work.

The men showed little emotion during the sentencing from Judge Paul Kellar, but there were audible sighs of relief from people in the public gallery.

Asked whether they planned to appeal the decision, both men declined to comment.

Southern District operations manager Inspector Lane Todd said "the public can be reassured that this outcome means that these kinds of actions will not be tolerated".

Police would not comment on the sentencing, saying an employment investigation was ongoing.

The police code of conduct investigation would include "reviewing the status of their suspension". It was not known how long this would take.

Insp Todd declined to reveal how much the officers, who had been suspended on full pay since February 16 - the day after the incident - had been paid.

According to the police website, the salary band for a constable ranges from $57,260 to $82,983.

A police national headquarters spokesman said a conviction for assault did not automatically exclude an officer from remaining on the force.

New Zealand Police Association president Greg O'Connor declined to comment.

Insp Lane said the two officers who saw the officers injure Mr Wiel, who had resisted attempts to handcuff him following a pursuit, remained with Dunedin police, and received support from "colleagues, supervisors and management".

Ten Southern District staff had been stood down and suspended on full pay - three in Southland, four in Dunedin/Clutha and three in Otago Rural - during the past five years.

"We have to remember that this is a very small proportion of the 651 staff employed by Southern District Police, who everyday deal with stressful and difficult situations in a professional manner," Insp Todd said.

Dunedin-Clutha area commander Inspector Dave Campbell said the incident was an isolated one and he did not believe the sentences would affect the public's faith in the police.

"It demonstrates that where police staff don't meet the required standards they are answerable to the law."


DETENTION
:
• Community detention requires the offender to comply with an electronically-monitored curfew imposed by the court.
• Sentence is targeted at offenders whose likelihood of reoffending could be reduced by restricting their movements at particular times, and those who punishment by means of a partial restriction of liberty is considered appropriate.
Source: Ministry of Justice


- hamish.mcneilly@odt.co.nz

 

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