Jonathan Kirkpatrick The former partner of ex-Labour MP Tim Barnett has indicated he will plead guilty to $666,000 of fraud from Auckland University of Technology. Jonathan Richard Kirkpatrick, a former Anglican leader who has spoken out for gay rights in the church, has been charged with 82 counts of making false invoices in his tenure as head of AUT's business innovation centre. The 53-year-old said outside court that he intends to plead guilty. He said he would not apologise but will save it for court where he will reappear in two weeks to admit his guilt. "I'm intrigued as much as I'm scared of the whole thing," he said. "I'm not looking forward to it." Kirkpatrick and Barnett were together for 18 years and moved to New Zealand from their native England in 1991 when Kirkpatrick was offered a job in Christchurch. Kirkpatrick was soon appointed Dean of St Paul's Anglican Cathedral in Dunedin, while Barnett stayed in Christchurch, and in 1996 became a Labour MP. The long-distance relationship began taking its toll and the couple made headlines when Barnett fell asleep at the wheel while driving the pair from Invercargill to Dunedin. The car left the road and Kirkpatrick sustained serious back injuries. The pair eventually dissolved their relationship and Barnett is now in a civil union with Ramon Maniapoto and now lives in South Africa, where he works for the World AIDS Campaign.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 4th August 2011 - 7:54pm