Christchurch terror attack liars ‘owned up’

Two people who lied to get some of the millions destined for the Christchurch terror attack victims escaped charges partly because they did not get any of the donated money.

Stuff previously revealed that the pair falsely claimed to police that they were at the Masjid Al Noor on Deans Ave during the March 15 shootings.

Those who were present at the mosque but escaped injury have received $17,000 from a fund established by Victim Support.

Police gave the pair a written warning rather than charging them with making a false statement, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment. At the time, they refused to provide further details about the offending or why they chose not to prosecute.

Yesterday, in response to an Official Information Act request from Stuff, Detective Inspector Greg Murton said it was deemed not to be in the public interest to charge the pair, because they had voluntarily withdrawn their claims and had not benefited financially from the offending.

Murton said the two people made separate statements to police saying they were at the mosque at the time of the terror attack. They were then re-interviewed ‘‘as part of the standard process for validating claims’’.

They later contacted police ‘‘of their own volition’’ and withdrew their claims. Both admitted making false statements.

Police released the warning letters sent to the pair. They show that one of the false statements was made on May 29. The other was made on June 10 by a person who arrived at the mosque after the shooting while emergency services were present.

About $10.9 million was donated to a fund established by Victim Support following the terror attack, which claimed the lives of 51 people. Victim Support distributed the money based on an official police victim list.