A former MP has pleaded not guilty in Auckland District Court to fraud charges relating to a $1.8 million pokie scam. [Read more…]
Bernard Whimp – banned company director ‘retires’ with $2m in pocket
Copy of Letter sent to Companies Office re banned director and convicted burgler Bernard Terence Whimp who has used limited partnerships to run “low-ball” share offers for NZX-listed securities, targeting “mum and dad” investors. [Read more…]
Deregistration of Porn Teacher Appropriate – Family First
In its Media Release today, the highly respected registered charity Family First NZ has welcomed the decision by the New Zealand Teacher’s Council to deregister a female primary school teacher for her “serious misconduct” – involving her work as a porn magazine model (See 35 page decision The Complaints Assessment Committee v Rachel Kellie Whitwell. NZTDT 2011/7).
The Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal ruled that the defendent, aged 29, must meet the CAC’s actual and reasonable cost associated with the disciplinary proceeding and pay half the Tribunal’s costs.
“Teachers have a special status as leaders and should be respected – especially by our children,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.
“Modeling and selling naked photos to a pornographic magazine doesn’t meet that standard. Associating the photos with her profession of teaching children is also unacceptable.
“These sexually explicit photos of the teacher have been published and are now in the public domain. The combined role of porn star and primary school teacher simply doesn’t fit for many families. Parents would be just as concerned if a teacher was coming to school topless or teaching that pornographic magazines are harmless. [Read more…]
LA Zombie – Herald on Sunday reporter seeks responses
Here is the email received by the Society for Promotion of Community Standards Inc. (SPCS) from Herald on Sunday reporter Andre Hueber on Friday April 29, 2011 at 10.38 AM regarding LA Zombie, a film we were told was that was prevented from being screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival in July 2010. The Festival organisers had proposed to screen it, but the necessary ‘exemption’ for screening an unclassified film was not granted in that instance (pers. comm. Paul Tenison, Acting Applications Manager, Classification Branch, Australian Attorney General’s Department).
Steve Crow – Eden Digital Ltd and US porn sources
The Dominion Post reports today: “[Stephen Peter] Crow, who is desperate not to carry a conviction as it would bar him from entering the United States where much of his pornography is obtained: said “I plead not guilty” [before Judge Russell Johnson in the Auckland District Court yesterday].
Crow’s “not guilty” plea was entered in relation to the Ministry of Economic Development’s allegation that he breached a banning Order imposed on him by the Registrar of Companies (served personally on him on 14 May 2010), preventing him for four years under s. 385 of the Companies Act 1993 from directing, managing or promoting a company in Australasia.
The Ministry has highlighted Crow’s promotion and management last year, of the NZ-based porn distribution company Eden Digital Ltd, now directed soley by John M Carr CPA, a San Antonio United States-based businessman and investor, as an example of Crow’s breach of the Order. (Mr John Malcolm Carr is owner, principal and registered agent of Better Business Services Inc. a US-registered corporation that owns a number of websites marketing and promoting hard core porn).
Crow told the Judge Russell Johnson yesterday that he would agree to plead guilty to the charge, but only if he was granted a “discharge without conviction” under s. 106 of the Sentencing Act 2002. The Judge naturally refused this ‘deal’ pointing out to Crow what most informed people already know, that such a discharge, if granted, is always conditional on the accused entering a guilty plea.
The Judge therefore declined the discharge application and indicated that if Crow pleaded guilty he would impose a fine. As noted, Crow refused to admit guilt and chose to enter a “not guilty” plea – forcing the matter to a defended hearing. This has been set down for three days commencing 12 September 2011.
If a person is convicted of a breach of s. 385 of the Act, a custodial sentence of up to five years jail or a fine of up to $200,000 can be imposed by the Court.