Wayne Wright Jr: Businessman on name suppression in child abuse cases

A businessman from a prominent family, Wayne Wright Jr was falsely identified on social media of being a name suppressed individual from a wealthy family who was charged and sentenced for knowingly possessing thousands of objectionable material files and knowingly importing the content.

Mat Mowbray was also incorrectly as the person, but the Herald and a document from the Ministry of Justice have confirmed it's not him.

The men believe that people convicted of sexual offences against children should never have name suppression. 

Wright says he is lucky to have a platform to defend himself but less prominent individuals could have their lives ruined by these type of rumours.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Carrywood and Morning's podcast from news Talks,
he'd be false.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Allegations against a Kiwi businessman are highlighting the challenges of
trying to debunk social media rumors. Matt Mowbray's the latest
to be incorrectly named as the person from a wealthy
family convicted of having child abuse material. The Herald, in
a document from the Ministry of Justice, have confirmed it
is not Matt Mowbray. Businessman Wainwright Junior was also falsely

(00:34):
identified in relation to the child abuse case. He believes,
along with Matt Mowbray, that people convicted of sexual offenses
against children should never have name suppression. Wainwright Junior joins me, now,
a very good morning to you.

Speaker 3 (00:48):
Good morning, Kerry. Nice to talk to you and to you.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
When did you find out that this kind of ludicrous, appalling,
aberrant kind of rumor was circulating about you.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
I guess it was about six weeks ago. I'm not
on social media, so I had no idea that this
was brewing. And then one of your colleagues, Shane Curry,
called me up and told me this, and I was
driving into town at the time. I asked him to
give him a minute because I was driving, and I
called him back and just said, obviously how appalling it was.

(01:23):
He reinforced that he knew it wasn't me. He had
been in court at the time when the person got convicted,
so there was no doubt about that. But it was
quite a surprise. I didn't really know what to make
of it at the time, and I wrote to mister Musk, well,
I learned of this on the grock Ai and I

(01:45):
followed through looking at that on the advice of Shane
and found it on groc Ai and thought to write
to mister Musk and apport him for most of his work,
of course, but this particular thing there had a few
bugs in it. And then I would say that about
two weeks later I tested Grok again and it had

(02:08):
cut me out of it. So perhaps there is a
higher power there looking over everything. It was quite relieved
to hear that. For those couple of weeks it was
quite challenging. A lot of friends called up and made
sure I was okay. They knew, of course that I
had nothing to do with the actual allegations or the crime.

(02:29):
But look, I'd have to say that people like Matt
and I we're lucky that we have access to platforms
like your own to clear our name, and there must
be and set the record straight in the public domain
through newspapers and shows like yours. But I'd have to

(02:49):
be very concerned for folks who don't have that sort
of access, who were accused of these sorts of activities falsely,
and that the trauma that it must lead to within
their family unit and their local community where they don't
have the same sort of profile to be to clear
their name. Something should be done about that.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Absolutely, And I mean I could imagine that in the
first instance, when you're when you were told that your
name is linked with something like this, you'd almost want
to laugh, but it's too serious to laugh because it's
just so bizarre that.

Speaker 3 (03:26):
You well, you're absolutely right. Part of me was a
little bit amused, because I'd like to think I'm a
fairly resilient fellow and as a businessman, you know, you
have your ups and downs and things that you have
to deal with. But the other part of me was
totally appalled, especially in the context that me my family,

(03:47):
you know, my parents, my siblings, we've been in this
early childhood space for twenty five years. You know, we
care for tens of thousands of children, and the idea
that one of us is being linked to such a
heinous crime beggars, you know, for all of all of

(04:08):
the different industry you might be involved in, being linked
to that. When when something is so dear to you
is yes, it's a porn.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
It's particularly cruel. And you're right, I mean, you know,
Matt Mowbray and yourselves do have access to platforms, but
in smaller communities, and we've seen it with school children
taking their own lives. When horrible, vicious rumors start circulating,
you feel like you're powerless to stop them. But it's

(04:38):
interesting to know that grock Ai has removed you from
that from from its.

Speaker 3 (04:44):
Yes, yes, well I initially queried groc when Shane told
me of it, and it came up with me as
the is the assailant there, And then, like I say,
I tested it a couple of weeks later and it
had dropped me from the speculation, and and and so fortunately,

(05:05):
well you know, perhaps, like I say, perhaps more powerful
people up above had something to do with that. I'll
never know, but at least my name got cleared. Yeah,
And shows like yours help to reinforce that. But you know,
for folks who just don't have that sort of access,
as you rightly say, it can lead to suicide, it
can lead to abandonment within a community. I've had stories

(05:31):
that people having to leave where they live because of
hounding for things. It's just, you know, something has to
be done about how that legislation works.

Speaker 2 (05:40):
I think perhaps too, and you and Matt have made
that point, is that the suppression bar is so low
now that it means that we do a bore a
vacuum and when we feel that natural justice hasn't been
done or served, then it doesn't excuse it. But then
people will try and fill that vacuum. And if you

(06:01):
are convicted of child six, and I'm calling it abuse
because I don't care if you're collecting the photo, you're
just as responsible. Then why why should you get name suppression?

Speaker 3 (06:13):
That's right, It's an indefensible argument unless the victim of
the crime, their need for name suppression outweighs the public interest,
and that can happen. That can happen, particularly for young
children with a life ahead, the idea that they've been
wrapped up in something so heinous in their youth. Perhaps

(06:33):
they should have a name suppression, but it's only on
the merits of the victim, not the assailant. And you know,
either you believe in innocent until proven guilty or you don't.
I personally do believe in that paradigm, and I think
that highlighting people's names when they're going through the judicial system,
perhaps that is inappropriate. But once you are convicted of

(06:57):
a crime, then you have no You've got to face
the music. That's part of what being convicted looks like.
Facing the music, dealing with it, and whether it affects
you or your family or the people around you, that's
just the price you've got to pay for what you've
done and been convicted of. So I just cannot fear
a defendable argument for how, in this particular case, how

(07:20):
this person is able to stay outside of the public interest.

Speaker 2 (07:24):
Absolutely, especially when it's you, your family, your community that's suffering.
Matt Mowbray's family has community that are suffering. All of
you are carrying that burden for the offender.

Speaker 3 (07:40):
Yes, that's right. I'm not sure that suffering is quite
the words for people like Matt and I, but you're
absolutely right. In a broader sense. You're absolutely right, And
once again it's the folks who don't have a platform.
I really feel for them because they just can't get
away from it, and then it becomes enshrined in the Internet,

(08:02):
and then when people look at it years from now,
they dig up something that was erroneous and those poor
folks have to relive, they have to relive it over
and over.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
Well, thank god you don't and thank you very very
much for your time and your openness way and I
really appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (08:20):
Thanks Kerry. Great to talk to you.

Speaker 2 (08:21):
Wayne, right, Junior, I'm a local businessman, and yeah, how
sensible to staff the social media, but how appalling to
suddenly find yourself in the center of something you have
absolutely nothing to do with.

Speaker 1 (08:34):
For more from Kerry Wood and Mornings, listen live to
news Talks. It'd be from nine am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.