PR firm hired to make a court case go away
Details of a conspiracy between a politically connected PR firm hired by a Kiwi rich-lister to dissolve an indecent assault complaint can now be told for the first time. Sam Hurley reports
TI have co-operated with the police from the moment they have engaged with me and I have been truthful … I don’t think anyone wants to go to jail. Hamish Jevan Goulter
wo witnesses who played a key role in helping prosecutors convict a wealthy and prominent businessman will avoid the prospect of prison, despite the Crown considering them “guilty”.
Hamish Jevan Goulter and his friend and business associate Allison Edmonds were yesterday revealed as the two immunity witnesses in the trial of a rich-lister, who was found guilty last week of indecently assaulting three men and twice attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Both gave evidence with the protection of immunity from the Crown at the High Court, where the businessman’s manager was also found guilty of attempting to pervert justice.
Goulter is known for his work in political circles, including both major parties, and has been connected to some of New Zealand’s wealthiest individuals.
The long-time friend of Destiny Church co-founders Brian and Hannah Tamaki was fired as the campaign manager for their political party Vision NZ after a hate-filled rant against a TV host on Facebook last year.
When Goutler gave evidence during the rich-lister’s trial, Hannah Tamaki was sitting in the public gallery as his official support person. Goulter operates a public relations firm, Goulter & Associates, which claims on its website to provide “PR and strategic communications counsel” and be associated with several high-profile people.
It was these connections and one particular political figure, who has interim name suppression, which the rich-lister told his jury attracted him to using Goulter & Associates.
The businessman claimed he needed the firm to manage potential reputational damage after hearing rumours he would be named in Australian media after being first charged in February 2017. “[The political figure] was someone who was very good at solving public relations problems,” the businessman said.
However, the rich-lister was instead hiring Goulter & Associates to deploy dirty tactics to dissuade an indecent assault complainant — the first of the three victims to go to police — from maintaining their allegations from a night in October 2016.
“The whole notion we were going to Australia to stop media from publishing something is ridiculous,” Goulter told the court.
It was one of two attempts to stop the case before an initial trial, scheduled for September 2017.
The first involved Kiwi entertainer Mika X meeting the victim at an Auckland cafe in April 2017 and offering a $15,000 bribe. He was sentenced yesterday to home detention after pleading guilty to two charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The second — with Goulter and Edmonds — would become known as the Gold Coast plot.
A deal with the Crown
The PR duo’s evidence about the elaborate efforts in May 2017 came after they brokered a deal with the Solicitor-general in exchange for immunity.
Talks about protection for the pair began in late September 2017 after police disclosed to the businessman’s lawyer they were investigating efforts to pay-off the complainant.
Their evidence, the Crown contended, and eventually two recordings was vital to secure the convictions against the businessman, his manager and Mika for their roles as the “instigators” of the Gold Coast plot.
Goulter and Edmonds also both told the court during the trial they knew their actions to aid the businessman had serious consequences for themselves. “What I did was wrong and potentially criminal,” Goulter said.
He engaged a top defence lawyer, Ron Mansfield, who “made it very clear to me that what we did was wrong” and began exploring immunity. Mansfield helped secure the pair protection, with Goulter later telling the court: “I have co-operated with the police from the moment they have engaged with me and I have been truthful … I don’t think anyone wants to go to jail.”
Crown prosecutor Simon Foote QC also told the jury while Goulter and Edmonds’ evidence was important for his case, it was also incriminating for the pair. “The Crown considers them guilty,” Foote said.
Both Goulter and Edmonds have had their immunity reviewed, however, the Crown said they would not revoke the deal.
Both the manager’s lawyer Rachael Reed QC and the businessman’s counsel David Jones QC accused the PR pair of lying about their involvement and offering a bigger fish to police to avoid charges themselves.
Both the businessman and his manager are due for sentencing in May.