Gay Auckland man Jonathan Kirkpatrick has pleaded guilty to defrauding AUT of more than half a million dollars. Kirkpatrick resigned as chief executive of the university's Business Innovation Centre after an internal investigation found "accounting discrepancies. He pleaded guilty to seven fraud related charges when he appeared in the Auckland District Court this morning. Kirkpatrick will be sentenced on October 6. The 53-year-old has been a gay rights advocate within the Anglican Church, where he has held a number of leadership positions. He is the former partner of ex-Labour MP Tim Barnett, and the couple initially moved to New Zealand together. Barnett now resides in South Africa with his civil union partner and is not commenting on the case.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 17th August 2011 - 11:50am