Use of drug informants ‘sad commentary’?

Press, 18 May 1984, Page 4

Use of drug informants ‘sad commentary’?

PA Auckland Police use of informers in the criminal scene may be seen as a sad commentary on Auckland, a Crown lawyer, Mr Peter Kaye, said in the High Court at Auckland yesterday. Mr Kaye was making his final address to the jury in the trial of Bruce Douglas Cameron, who is accused of manufacturing and possessing the narcotic, phencyclidine, in October. Cameron, aged 32, of Sandringham, has pleaded not guilty. His counsel, Mr Barry Hart, claims it was because Cameron was a police informer on the drugs scene that he was arrested. Mr Kaye said the issue of police informing was “just background material.” The jury might not like the idea of the use of police informers.

“You may think it is a sad commentary on this city of ours that such methods have to be used by the police,” he said. “But manufacture of such drugs has got to be stopped.” The Crown’s case was based on circumstantial evidence. If the jury did not find that the evidence proved Cameron had manufactured the drug, he was at least one of those involved in producing and possessing it, Mr Kaye said. Two aspects were beyond doubt, he said. A tragic accident had occurred involving Cameron’s son who had ingested phencyclidine, and the narcotic did not occur in a natural state, which meant someone had produced it.

Cameron had a knowledge of chemistry and knew of laboratories at two

addresses, which other people were using, he said. For Cameron, Mr Hart said the accused was being used by the police, had allowed others to use his laboratory and even procured chemicals for them. Mr Hart said the police allowed Cameron to be the “lead sheep, leading all the others on” until the poisoning accident, when the police “swooped on him.” “This is an obvious example of how the police force works. Had he not been working for them he would not be standing trial today,” he said. Because Cameron was an informant, others were coming and using his house. “If anyone was making drugs, it was them,” he said.

Mr Justice Casey will sum up today for the jury.