Shamed former cop stands by his actions

The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found former officer Hurimoana Dennis unlawfully detained a teenager in 2015 and abused his power while he was in the force. In 2015, Mr Dennis was charged with kidnapping, after locking a 17 year-old boy in a cell and later detaining him at the airport police station as a way of pressuring him to leave his underage girlfriend. A jury ultimately acquitted Mr Dennis and another officer who was also charged. Despite that, the authority released a report yesterday saying that on the balance of probability, he did act unlawfully. It also found several instances over the past five years where Mr Dennis misused his authority, including trying to influence the outcome of cases involving his son and his cousin. Mr Dennis told our Maori news correspondent Leigh-Marama McLachlan that the teenagers family asked him for help to end his relationship, and he stands by his actions.