NZ First leader Winston Peters is pumping up the volume in Parliament in his attempt to get answers on why David McNee's killer was not arrested for another violent attack he allegedly committed days before killing McNee. Peters told the House that police had a confession from Phillip Edwards and a DNA match. But he was not prosecuted over the attack two years ago on Peter Shaw, husband of Employment Court judge Coral Shaw, on the pleading of Mr Shaw's lawyer, John Haigh, QC. Haigh has said his client was too traumatised to give evidence, but Peters argued that the police often prosecuted other crimes without needing the victim's approval. Peters also read a note said to be from police officer Lance Burdett threatening TV3's 20/20 programme, which first disclosed the link between Edwards and the Shaw case: "If you print or film anything relating to Mr X - being Mr Shaw - in any way, I may well be in a position to prosecute TV3 given the warnings I have communicated to you. I will also be seeking out your other source of information and will instigate disciplinary proceedings if appropriate." Police Minister George Hawkins has for three consecutive days refused to answer Peters' questions on the details of the case, saying he did not receive police files, in line with the principle of "constabulary independence".
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Friday, 3rd September 2004 - 12:00pm