A New Zealand police officer who was accused of indecently assaulting a teenager at a junior football tournament in Australia has had the charges dropped.
The alleged assault took place before the 2023 Kanga Cup against a teenage girl.
David Brooke was arrested on July 1, 2023 over the alleged event, and his bail was changed to allow him to return home to New Zealand.
The 67-year-old has worked as a police officer in New Zealand for more than 30 years.
The hearing was scheduled to take place today at the Magistrates Court in the Australian Capital Territory.
Riotact reported Brooke was set to fight his charge of committing an act of indecency on a young person under his special care but the charge was withdrawn when he faced court.
Brooke then pleaded not guilty to a new charge: committing an act of indecency without consent. After an adjournment however, the prosecutor said there would be no evidence offered for the charge following representations from Brooke’s lawyers.
“I totally agree with the prosecutor here,” his barrister, John Purnell SC, said, according to Riotact.
Purnell also said he would make an unopposed application for legal costs.
According to court documents, Brooke went from Auckland to the Australian Capital Territory as a senior referee to work at the Kanga Cup in June 2023.
Brooke, referee coaches and other senior mentors then went to a meet up for team building exercises on July 1, before the cup took place.
It was then alleged Brooke grabbed a teenage girl during one of the exercises under her arms, which caused his hands to touch her breasts.
But, Brooke’s solicitor, Satomi Hamon of Aulich, said the charges were “doomed to fail”.
Hamon said the alleged event took place in front of a television camera, and argued the footage showed it was not possible for Brooke’s hands to be near the teenager’s breasts.
She added the teenager had discussed the incident with many people before telling police of her allegation. Hamon suggested it was “highly likely these discussions have infected her memory”.
“We believe the [teenager] is honestly mistaken in her memory of the event.”
With the prosecutor offering no evidence for the charge, it was then dismissed by Magistrate Alexandra Burt.
Burt ordered for costs to be agreed between the two parties.