Police investigation criticised

Press, 26 July 1989, Page 24

Police investigation criticised

PA Wellington The Indian High Commissioner, in Wellington, Mr Chikka Balachandra, yesterday criticised the police investigation against one of his personal staff suspected of indecently assaulting schoolgirls on five separate occasions. Mr Balachandra said police evidence was weak and the dates on which the offences were alleged to have occurred were changed during the course of police investiga-

tions. Five charges of indecency against Joseph Verghese, aged 23, a personal aide of Mr Balachandra, were withdrawn by the police when he failed to appear at the Lower Hutt District Court on Friday, July 14. The police told the Court Mr Verghese had left New Zealand on July 5 and returned to India and the police would not therefore issue a warrant for his arrest. All five charges relating

to alleged indecent assaults on secondary school girls were withdrawn without prejudice, allowing the police the option to press charges again if he ever returned to New Zealand. The offences were said to have occurred between November, 1988, and April this year. Mr Balachandra said Mr Verghese was subject to victimisation without proper evidence and had been forced to leave New Zealand to protect the

good name of the Indian High Commission. “I repeatedly told the police and the Ministry of External Relations and Trade that Joseph could not have committed these indecencies and strongly believe there has been a case of mistaken identity. “At no stage has Joseph been physically identified by any of the victims and there is a clear variance in several dates given by the police and the whereabouts of Joseph on those dates. He has alibis and independent witnesses,” Mr Balachandra said.

“I have written to senior officials asking that the charges be investigated thoroughly but nothing has been done.”

Mr Balachandra said Mr Verghese left New Zealand willingly on his instructions because the High Commission did not wish to be associated with a court case involving indecency charges. “If there was a surety that there would be no publicity I would have allowed the case to go to court because I am 100 per cent sure it would have vindicated his innocence,” he said. The Hutt Police Commander, Mr Gerry Cunneen, who investigated the complaints, said he did not wish to get into a debate with the Indian High Commission in

respect of the fact that Mr Balachandra was a foreign government representative. “We invited Mr Balachandra to nominate a solicitor of his choice to review what we considered was a prima facie case concerning those alleged indecent assaults. “A solicitor did that and as a result of that we had a note to the effect that Mr Verghese had left the country on July 5.” Mr Cunneen said Mr Balachandra sought a lot of advice from the Ministry of External Relations and Trade, the Prime Minister’s Department, the Commissioner of Police and members of Parliament. “Because there was some disparity in two of the dates because of the time span we changed them to say the events occurred within the week of those dates. “Accordingly the information we laid before the Court acknowledged that fact,” he said. "All I can say is that we were satisfied that a prima facie case existed and because the offender did not appear on the date concerned we withdrew the informations.” Mr Cunneen said the complainants had been kept informed of the case and were satisfied with the outcome.