Saturday, 20 Oct 2007

Search warrant 'had no signature'

By MIKE WATSON - The Dominion Post | Friday, 19 October 2007
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The man at the centre of the Taupo terror raid has questioned the legality of the police actions because the search warrant had no signature.

Police raided Bryan Innes' home and business in Taupo on Wednesday morning, seizing computers, cameras and cellphones, including those belonging to Swedish visitor Oscar Kjellberg, the strategic manager for community-based JAK Bank.

Mr Innes' wife Jo demanded they be returned to Mr Kjellberg who was flying back to Europe yesterday.

They were returned before his departure, but police would not confirm whether information had been copied from them.

The search warrant used by police initially did not have an authorised signature, Mr Innes said, so he sent them away.

When police returned, there was just a scrawl across the page with no name, he said.

"They explained to me they did not need a name," Mr Innes said.

"I really question a process which allows a document to be used to search one's house which has a scrawl across the bottom of the page."

The search warrant included items such as outdoor clothing - anoraks, trackpants, and balaclavas.

Mr Innes said the clothing was the type that could be found at most people's homes, yet could still incriminate anyone.

Mr Innes said police had turned the house inside out.

"My daughter felt violated."

Mr Innes received no apology from police. He said the anti-terrorism legislation "throws New Zealand back 500 years".

"It's like the Star Chamber. It's disgusting, draconian and undermines democracy. It's not the way to deal with matters of terrorism," he said.


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