A senior Otago police officer has been slammed for carelessness that meant charges of large-scale drug-cultivation were scrapped
A senior Otago police officer has been slammed for carelessness that meant charges of large-scale drug-cultivation were scrapped
20 March 2024
Former Owaka officer Senior Constable, Murray Hewitson, was responsible for two search warrants in 2020, that uncovered a large cannabis find at a farm.
The ODT reports the Court of Appeal ruled the officer had insufficient information to justify the warrants.
One issue is he didn't obtain electricity records predating the accused's occupancy - so it wasn't clear power consumption had increased.
The Court says Hewitson was aware of the requirements of the Search and Surveillance Act and knew the warrant was non-compliant.
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