Police to reopen Barclay file
Allegations of sex and drugs have been made under parliamentary privilege in relation to secret tapes that are now the subject of a fresh police investigation into embattled National MP Todd Barclay.
Quizzing Prime Minister Bill English in the House yesterday, Labour leader Andrew Little asked: ‘‘Given the contents of the tape have now been revealed to concern Todd Barclay and sex and drug matters, does he accept that the tapes exist and when was he aware of their contents?’’
English replied he had nothing to add to the comments made.
Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner (Investigations) Richard Chambers confirmed police had reopened the file on Barclay following a week of claims, counterclaims and admissions from the young MP for Clutha-southland, and English.
Barclay was forced to withdraw from contending the safe seat at the September general election, in a cloud of controversy amid allegations he made secret recordings of electorate staffer Glenys Dickson, and a brain-fade from English who momentarily forgot Barclay had admitted making the recordings to him.
English said there had been no discussions with Barclay about whether the police investigation changed his decision to stay on until the election.
Yesterday, Barclay’s friend, Invercargill MP Sarah Dowie, said there had been ‘‘allegations on both sides that are quite outrageous’’ and it was an employment issue ‘‘that has gone way out of hand’’. Dowie was one of a small group of friends who stayed with Barclay last week when he announced he would be stepping down from Parliament. She had remained in touch with Barclay ‘‘to make sure he’s okay’’. ‘‘Just because you come into Parliament doesn’t mean you lose your values. He’s a mate in trouble and so we support each other.’’ Barclay was not at home when reporters knocked on his door in Butel Park, Arrowtown.
A staff member said he did not intend to make a formal statement on the police decision to reopen the investigation. She declined to say where Barclay was.
News of the police investigation broke while National MPS were in their weekly caucus meeting. It was understood English had only just found out as he left because MPS could not take phones into the meeting. Barclay was not at the meeting and English said he did not know if Barclay would be in Parliament later yesterday. Barclay did not show in the House for Question Time that afternoon either.
Asked whether Barclay should go early English said: ‘‘No, police are starting an investigation. I don’t think it changes the fact that he’s decided to retire at the election.’’
It was ‘‘up to police’’ whether they wanted to get back in touch about his earlier statement, English said.
Barclay refused to co-operate with the original police investigation more than a year ago, which left it to stagnate with police saying they did not have enough evidence to issue warrants and obtain the recordings.
But English’s eventual public admission that Barclay had made the recordings, which English relayed in his own police statement in April last year, appeared to have opened the door for police to resume their investigation.
In a short statement last Tuesday evening, Barclay said he accepted English’s version of events. That statement was one of a number of new pieces of information police were assessing, in consideration over whether to open the police investigation.
It could be treated as an admission from Barclay that he made recordings of Dickson without her knowledge and without being in a conversation with her - something police did not have before. The statement may add further weight to a text from English to the Clutha-southland electorate chair that recordings existed.
Questions have been raised over whether police let the matter drop too soon, when Barclay went back on public statements that he would co-operate with the police investigation, only to have his lawyer communicate to senior officers heading it that he would not be speaking with them.
‘‘Any new evidence which is gathered will be carefully considered to determine what, if any impact it has on the outcome of the original investigation,’’ Chambers said. ‘‘This will be a thorough process with oversight from a senior detective, however at this stage we are unable to put a timeframe on how long it might take.’’