Embassy ‘toilet cam’ suppression

A man charged with attempting to make intimate recordings inside the New Zealand embassy in the United States has continued the fight to keep his identity a secret.

The man appeared in the Auckland High Court yesterday in front of Justice Grant Powell to appeal a district court decision that he could be publicly named.

In April the man appeared in the Auckland District Court in front of judge Kevin Glubb and entered a not guilty plea and elected a jury trial.

The man allegedly hid a camera in a toilet area at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington DC and, according to charge sheets, attempted to make intimate recordings of a person between July 26 and 28 last year.

A staff member at the embassy found the camera and reported it.

The charge of attempting to make an intimate visual recording carries a maximum penalty of three years jail.

Although the offending happened in the US, the case is being heard in a New Zealand court as the alleged incident

He also was not satisfied the man’s fair trial rights would be breached.

In the High Court, Newell argued naming the man would cause undue hardship for the man’s daughter and her employment.

However, Justice Powell said the man’s affidavit was ‘‘actually very sparse on the issue’’.

Newell asked Justice Powell to reserve suppression being lifted until the man had disclosed the charges to his daughter.

Justice Powell reserved his decision for the appeal until May 4.