Filipo's victims win apology
NZRU contacts families of assaulted young people after criticism in radio interview
New Zealand Rugby Union officials have apologised to the four young people assaulted by rising rugby star Losi Filipo.
NZRU head Steve Tew yesterday promised to personally get in touch with each of the victims — Kelsey Odell, 22, her partner Hayden Williams, 22, Greg Morgan, 21, and Olivia Samuel, 22 — to offer the union’s formal apology.
Tew made the pledge during an interview with Paul Henry yesterday morning, in which the broadcaster criticised him for not calling the victims earlier.
Tew said Wellington Rugby — which had contracted Filipo as one of its players — did not know the severity of the attack and had been following court proceedings without that knowledge. Had management known the full details, the call would have probably been made for Filipo not to play.
Tew acknowledged that Tuesday’s termination of Filipo’s contract with Wellington Rugby had come “too late” and that it was something to learn from.
The NZRU’s apologies came after a huge public outcry that followed a court decision to discharge Filipo without conviction after he and his older brother, Sam Filipo, assaulted the group of friends in the early hours of last October 11.
They had spent the night out in the Wellington CBD to celebrate Samuel’s birthday.
Court documents say the Filipo brothers assaulted the two men, then the women.
Odell confirmed last night that someone from the NZRU had contacted her family and formally apologised to her parents. It is understood the others — or their families — were also phoned yesterday.
The group have said they will appeal against the decision made by District Court Judge Bruce Davidson last month.
The decision has led to debate on social media in which commentators, bloggers and members of the public have criticised the judge. Some have gone as far as to call for his resignation.
Filipo has said little publicly, except for a statement on Tuesday in which he apologised to his victims.