Jared Savage: NZ Herald investigative reporter on the potential consequences Jevon McSkimming could face

Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming could face charges if pornography allegedly found on his work computer is deemed objectionable. 

He'd been suspended on full pay since December during a separate criminal investigation, during which it's understood porn was allegedly discovered on a device. 

McSkimming has now resigned.

NZ Herald investigative reporter Jared Savage says the term 'objectionable material' is subject to interpretation. 

He explained it generally refers to content involving sexual violence, horror, and cruelty. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Afternoon, even more details have come to light about the
kind of pornographic material that Deputy Police Commissioner Jevin mcskimming
allegedly had on his work device. The Herald is reporting
an investigation is underway to decide whether the material was objectionable.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Now.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
Jared Savage is The Herald's investigative reporter. Hey, Jared, Hi,
have that Jared? What do you know about the pawn
that was allegedly found on his computer?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Well, allegedly and I lo stress that allegedly it's not
sort of regard and variety pornography. It's what has deemed
well allegedly objectionable material. Now, objectionable material is subject to interpretation,
but generally something that's it's governed by the film, video

(00:45):
and publications classification back and it's generally speaking things that
involve you know, sexual violence, horror, cruelty. So we don't,
we don't, we know very little about what we'll staying
on the computer, but that is what the police are
looking at at the moment to determine whether this material

(01:06):
allegedly found on mix Stilming's computer could be classified as objectionable.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
Now, having that kind of stuff on your computer allegedly
is a crime, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
It is an offense under the Act, and it's a
sort of offense that the police as well as the
Department of Internal Affairs and Customs actually as well investigate
quite regularly. So if it is classified as addctionable and
there's a big long process where whatever the material sound

(01:38):
has been compared to other material, charges could be laid
and we could be finding ourselves in the curtcase.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Now, will the cops keep on investigating him despite the
fact that he's resigned in that half do wouldn't they?

Speaker 2 (01:53):
Yeah? And the commissioner, which the Chambers has been quite
clear about that, they've been very Tightlet the police and
Mark Mitchell, the police minister. But Chambers was adamant to
say the resignation of Skimming yesterday doesn't stop the investigation.
That'll that'll carry on and I guess will have an
outcome in due course.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
They will need to replace him reasonably quickly, I would
have thought, because there's just one police Deputy commissioner right
now who can legally fill in for Chambers.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Right, that's right. So there's been keys what they call
statutory deputies. One was given ex Skimming the other was
time you cutter, and should anything happen to the commissioner
or should he himself come under investigation for whatever reason,
the statue the senior statutory dituity takes over. That wasn't skimming.

(02:44):
Now it's time your putterer. So I would expect to see,
you know, an application for that role to be advertisably
shortly as an important role, and you know, it comes
shortly after there's been a bit of a restructuring the
police executive as well, so I imagine there'll be a
few contenders putting their hand up for that one.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
Jared, thanks for talking us through it, mate. This Jared Savage,
investigative reporter for The Herald. For more from Hither Duplessy,
Allen Drive, listen live to news Talks it'd be from
four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.