Summarised by Centrist
Former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming obtained a rare “superinjunction” last Friday night, blocking media from reporting on the nature of allegedly objectionable material found on his police-issued computer, or even mentioning the injunction itself.
That gag order expired at 2:15 pm on Monday, and has now been partially lifted.
RNZ, Stuff, and NZME challenged the injunction in a High Court teleconference on Monday. While the court continued to block disclosure of the material in question, it lifted the ban on reporting the existence of the injunction.
It had previously been reported that pornography found on McSkimming’s device is under investigation as alleged objectionable material. McSkimming has not commented publicly, but resigned last week amid the ongoing IPCA and police investigation.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster has ordered an independent review of police system safeguards, stating: “I want to ensure robust mechanisms are in place… and to detect instances of inappropriate use.”
Police systems are meant to block access to inappropriate or high-risk sites, though exemptions exist for investigative roles. All usage is logged and monitored.
