SPCS

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTION OF COMMUNITY STANDARDS INC.

Cash theft tops fraud in public service

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A quarter of public servants say at least one incident of fraud or corruption has taken place in their workplace in the last two years, a survey reveals.

New Zealand is consistently ranked as the least-corrupt country in international indices.

But a report from the Office of the Auditor-General reveals that almost a third of those working in local government, almost 29 per cent in central government and 8 per cent in schools are aware of colleagues having committed fraud.

The most common type of fraud within public entities is theft of cash or equipment, followed by dishonest expense claims.

Source: Fairfax NZ News

Full Story: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/7133698/Cash-theft-tops-fraud-in-public-service

 

Website publisher to go to jail after losing his appeal

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A website publisher has lost his appeal against being jailed for contempt of court for publishing a suppressed judgment. Auckland Vincent Siemer was sentenced in the High Court at Wellington last September to six weeks’ jail after being found in contempt of court after a breach of court orders. The breach came after Siemer published a suppressed judgment relating to the Urewera police raids-accused on his website last year. The Supreme Court has dismissed his appeal and ordered him to start his prison sentence on May 25, 2012.

Source: The Dominion Post, 12 May, 2012. P. A3.

Unlawful acceptance of donation in 2010 mayoralty campaign – 22 month jail sentence

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A high profile mayoralty candidate who accepted a campaign donation in exchange for an offer of ‘political favours’ – filed a “no contest plea” to eight criminal charges, including: receiving unlawful compensation for official acts, accepting illegal campaign contributions and filing a false campaign financial report (it was co-signed by the candidate’s treasurer). The candidate, who was recorded on video accepting the donation from an undercover enforcement agent posing as a businessman seeking “access” favours, has been sentenced to a 22.4 month jail term, fined, and required to do 200 hours of community service on release from incarceration.

Is this a case of  “entrapment” involving an innocent scapegoat, as claimed? Should donations to political candidates entitle donors “access” to donation recipients? What community standards should we seek to uphold in creating laws relating to political campaign contributions? Where does the fine line exist between the “letter” and the “spirit” of the law relating to these compliance matters? [Read more…]

‘Coronation St’ plot killing reignites debate about levels of TV violence

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BRITAIN: A teenager who beat his mother to death with a hammer and burned her body in a “chilling” murder inspired by a Coronation Street plot has been jailed for at least 16 years.

The killing carried out by Daniel Bartlam, who was 14 at the time, is likely to reignite the debate about the levl of violence on televison, with, the interest group Mediawatch UK warning yesterday that soap operas were “pushing the boundaries”. [Read more…]

Paedophile posted abuse pictures online – dompost news

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For a decade, a former Wellington art gallery owner, Aaron Paul Laurence, 38, committed depraved sex acts on at-risk children, uploading his abuse online to a worldwide audience.

The police summary of facts said he sexually abused eight victims, electronically recording his exploits.

“The defendant has not only sexually offended against his [eight] victims, but by photographing, filming and distributing pictures of the abuse, the victims are victimised repeatedly when their images turn up on the internet.”

Laurence targeted vulnerable boys from troubled homes, in one case sexually abusing his victim after forcing him to watch pornography and giving him cigarettes and cannabis that caused the boy to become intoxicated.

The Dominion Post published the colour photo of the perpetrator of these crimes on p. A15 today using a photo caption headline “Depraved.” . During his appearance in Lower Hutt District Court yesterday, Laurence opposed The Dominion Post’s application to photograph him. [Read more…]