My front row seat to a miscarriage of justice – the Colin Craig vs Jordan Williams verdict
Political commentator and blogger Martyn Bradbury on Friday afternoon told the court that Jordan Williams was “manipulative” and akin to a “venomous spider”.
Bradbury had the jury in fits of laughter as he also explained his disdain for Whale Oil blogger Cameron Slater.
“Loathe is not strong enough a word,” he said.
His descriptions prompted Williams’ lawyer Peter McKnight to suggest Bradbury was being “flippant”.
Bradbury gave evidence of Williams’ character and criticised his relationship with Slater.
Williams’ leaking information about Craig to Slater was for Williams’ “own political ends”, Bradbury thought.
He approved of the circulation of Craig’s leaflet which called Williams dishonest.
“As far as I was concerned, I thought the leaflet was an appropriate response to a pack of political sadists,” Bradbury said.
“I think this [trial is] an angry fight between two people who don’t like each other much. It’s very, very important for the jury to find the truth in this.”
As I suggested at the time the Jury returned their verdict, this fiasco of a case has resulted in the Judge throwing it out as a miscarriage of justice.
I was involved in this defamation trial so was front row for most of this and it very much shook my faith in our Jury system. When I sat down in front of that Jury I suddenly realised that for most of them this was the most important thing any of them had ever been involved in.
Which in of itself was deeply concerning.
None of them knew who bloody Jordan Williams was, all they knew was that mean old Colin Craig had sexually harassed poor Rachel MacGregor.
It didn’t seem to occur to any of the Jury that this was a defamation case by Jordan against Colin. I was there to point out that a political sadist like Williams deserved everything plus the kitchen sink being thrown at him. The Jury however seemed to miss crucial things like how there wasn’t much basis in fact for the majority of the allegations used against Colin Craig and that Williams had clearly breached faith with Rachel MacGregor…
[6] Of note, Ms MacGregor did not assert that Mr Craig had ever sent her any sexually explicit text (“sext”) messages. Nor was there any documentary or other evidence of such messages.
[8] On 19 November 2014, two months after her resignation, Ms MacGregor told Mr Williams, an acquaintance of hers, that Mr Craig had sexually harassed her. Sheshowed MrWilliams the letters and cards that MrCraig had sent to her. MrWilliams assured Ms MacGregor and her lawyer that he would keep this information as confidential as if he were her lawyer.2
[9] Mr Williams formed the view, as a result of what Ms MacGregor had told him, that Mr Craig was not fit to continue to lead the Conservative Party. In early 2015 he spoke to various leading figures associated with the Party, including GarthMcVicar (the founder of the Sensible Sentencing Trust), Brian Dobbs (the Party Chairman), and Lawrence Day (a board member). He expressed his concerns regarding Mr Craig and variously told them that there was likely to be a leadership vacancy in the Party, that Mr Craig had sexually harassed Ms MacGregor, and that he had sent sext messages to Ms MacGregor, including one that referred to him lying between her naked legs.
…did everyone read that? No sext messages, and Williams tells MacGregor that he wouldn’t tell anyone else what she had confided in him as if he were her own lawyer and what did he then go onto do? Breach that confidence and seeded a political coup against Colin.
This in of itself should have told the Jury that Colin couldn’t have defamed Jordan because Jordan was acting in the exact way Colin was claiming he was acting.
But the Jury didn’t listen to that and came up with this absurd verdict instead.
The media coverage of the case was as much a farce as the verdict. What so many mainstream corporate journalists couldn’t understand was that if the Williams decision had been allowed to stand it would change defamation law in this country forever, the threshold for what could be considered defamation was lowered to a level by this ruling that would have reshaped comment in NZ for the next decade.
Christ only knows how this part of it all pans out, but it does spell doom for Cameron Slater. Under the radar, Colin has crushed hard right blogger John Stringer into a small slimy paste in their defamation case and the next one lined up is Cameron.
Poor Cam must be almost on suicide watch now, because he used a lot of Stringer’s baseless allegations and was hoping the Williams verdict might protect him as well, now Stringer has been destroyed and Williams verdict cast aside, there ain’t no where for Cammy to hide.
Excellent prowess Martyn, it is good to see justice actually finally served against these evil types smearing their opponents or others they want to damage.
Interesting times so will Colin come out with a plan to turn against the NatZ who embraced the scum for their own political fortunes during the last “rigged election”?
Reading the mad rantings from Slater as a result of this he seems to be framing qualified privilege as a defence in the same way Little did as having a moral duty to disclose because in a very confined frame and only when he is acting so, some judge deemed Slater a journalist.
Ughmmm slight issue with that. I am sure Martyn you have already suggested to Colin Craig that he stick MSM journalist after journalist on the stand to give expert evidence that journalists cannot run hate campaigns in a professional capacity against political candidates day after day.
As far as im concerned what thise jurors did was criminal and deserving of charges.
Either they were purchased for the intent to crush Colin Craig before the trial began.
Or they were nasty vindictive frauds with no ontent to follow the law.
And by they i mean the one or more jurors that the other jurors blindly followed.
There is no excuse for their actions
What’s the state of play with the Slater /Blomfield case ? Anyone know ?
Jordan’s by far the more disgusting character in this episode. Hope Craig wins!!
Sunlight needs to be bought to these political interferences.
+100
It says one should be judged by a jury of your peers, were any of the jurors leaders in politics, public figures, media pundits or involved in the cut and thrust of nation Building?
The only people laughing are the hard right at the media eating out of it’s hand and the sheer ignorance of New Zealanders. Yes New Zealand, bad stuff only happens “overseas”, now go back to sleep…
So this is what hard right passes for a bit of truth now adays. You know you don’t have to over emphasis with caps locks, people can read. If any one needs assistance with what to be shocked about. Im sure some mental images of a hardman can do it.
GG bruv
There is no justice to be found in the Crown’s NZ judicial court system.
Nor is there any separation of the Crown judicial from the Crown’s executive branch . Its all one big Establishment court.
Most people find that out as soon as they experience it first hand.
12 media bias idiots that couldn’t reason if they were told how are not a jury of your peers( unless all your peers are idiot savages- maybe its a political jury).
How has the National Party escaped examination on this?
Jurys frequently come out with decisions that defy logic and evidence, frequently. Jurys are an idealistic romantic idea that does many an injustice to many a victim.
Their apparent ignorance of who Williams was proves why National were largely unharmed by the book Dirty Politics. It is just so beyond Kiwi’s to think that far ahead when voting even when information is handed to them on a plate. Because if nothing else that book gave a candid who’s who of scum who would like nothing better than to derail democracy. I would argue they are well on the way there.
But Williams surely didn’t do this as he had nothing better to do, Colin Craig after all seriously threatened National’s hold on power. The question I have is not if the National Party was involved, but how?
Smear campaigns with bankrupting consequences must make the likes of Dunne and Nationals other poodle the Maori Party think twice about ever rocking the boat and so by design National maintain a tight grip upon power. And National love smear campaigns.
And it reinforces the old saying, “he who sups with the devil should have a long spoon”!
Spot on analysis XRAY.