Dominatrix paid to star in murder doco
The docu-drama will centre on ‘‘exclusive’’ interviews with Chignell but Christopher Harder, who represented Walker at all three trials, has refused to take part in the docu-drama, claiming it is ‘‘sanitising’’ history, and says Chignell should not be allowed to benefit financially from a crime.
Chignell was sentenced to two years in prison for wilful destruction of Plumley-Walker’s car.
Former Justice Minister Judith Collins said she wouldn’t be tuning in to watch the show. ‘‘I’m all for free speech but it’s not the best piece of New Zealand history to choose to give taxpayer money to,’’ she said.
NZ on Air has funded the documentary to the tune of $1.1 million.
TVNZ spokesperson Rachel Howard defended the use of the convicted dominatrix, saying they made a clear distinction between content developed outside the newsroom and news content.
‘‘When it comes to news we have a firm policy: we do not pay for interviews. In docu-dramas like this, it is sometimes appropriate to pay a fee for the rights to tell someone’s story and to pay for the extensive time commitment involved in both preproduction and production. Renee’s past doesn’t automatically preclude her from receiving the same terms a producer may offer anyone else in a similar position.’’
According to marketing material for the show, the Plumley-Walker case was the ‘‘most sensational trial New Zealand had ever seen’’.
‘‘Long before 50 Shades of anything, teenage dominatrix Renee Chignell was at the centre of a moral firestorm that introduced the words ‘discipline’, ‘bondage’ and ‘golden shower’ into every astonished suburban living room in New Zealand,’’ according to the promo.
Chignell and Walker were convicted of murder, but the verdict was later quashed on appeal. A jury in the second murder trial were unable to reach a verdict. The pair were eventually acquitted of murder in a third trial when the jury accepted their story that PlumleyWalker was already dead when they threw his body off the Falls, having died accidentally during a ‘punishment’ S&M session.
Harder, who represented Chignell’s ex-boyfriend Walker at all three trials, was approached by producer Gary Scott for the project, but has refused to take part in the 90-minute docu-drama, which will screen on TVNZ1’s Sunday Theatre next year. He is trying to finance his own feature film about the case.