Whangārei Jury Finds Man Guilty in High-Profile Revenge Porn and Assault Trial
A 38-year-old Northland man has been found guilty of multiple charges, including causing harm through digital communication and physical assault of his ex-partner.
By: AXL Media
Published: Apr 25, 2026, 3:38 AM EDT
Source: RNZ Pacific
Verdict Delivered After Contentious Northland Trial
A 38-year-old man has been found guilty of multiple offenses, including causing harm by posting digital content, following a volatile legal battle in Whangārei. The jury deliberated for seven hours on Thursday before returning guilty verdicts on nine counts of physical assault, one count of threatening to kill, and one charge of causing harm through digital communication. The trial, which spanned nearly two weeks, focused on the collapse of a relationship and the subsequent dissemination of sexually explicit videos to the victim's family and social circle.
The court heard that the defendant and the complainant initially met within Auckland’s DJ community. According to the woman's testimony, the early stages of the relationship involved "love-bombing," a psychological tactic used to gain influence through excessive attention. However, the dynamic quickly shifted into what she described as an "exploratory" but coerced sexual environment where the man insisted on recording their encounters, leading to her eventual report to the police when the footage appeared on public pornographic websites.
Digital Harassment and the Breach of Consent
The crux of the digital harm charge centered on the period following the couple's separation. In a series of vitriolic messages, the defendant threatened to "post your a everywhere" and bragged about exposing their private life to the public. He admitted to sending screenshots of their intimate encounters to the woman's mother and his entire friend group. While his defense team characterized this as a "brain explosion" during a moment of intense emotional stress, the prosecution successfully argued it was a calculated attempt to destroy the victim's reputation.
Testimony from police officers revealed the extent of the harassment. One officer recalled taking a statement from the woman while her phone was incessantly lighting up with emails and threats from the defendant. The victim alleged that while she was aware of some filming, she was often forced or intoxicated during the acts and never consented to the public distribution or live-streaming of the material.