A former police officer has been found guilty of coercing a prostitute to have sex with him but not guilty on two other serious charges in Christchurch.
After seven-and-a-half hours of deliberations, the jury in the High Court at Christchurch on Tuesday acquitted Nathan Thorose Connolly of a second charge of inducing sexual connection by threat, and of a charge of corruptly obtaining a bribe.
Connolly, 31, who was a traffic officer until last year, denied all the charges.
He will be sentenced next month.
Almost five hours into its deliberations, the jury returned to ask Justice French to expand on issues relating to the bribery charge.
The judge restated her earlier comments, that the jury must be sure there was a link between him receiving free sex and his official police powers.
Mr Connolly's lawyer has not commented about whether an appeal will be lodged, but it's understood the unusual verdict could be grounds for doing so.
The charges were linked as the Crown contended Connolly corruptly obtained information to use against the prostitute, then used that information.
But the jury found him guilty of only one charge of using the information to gain free sex, and not guilty of actually obtaining it.
Retired Monday
The jury of six men and six women retired just before 4pm on Monday, following a week of evidence.
The Crown said Connolly had been a paying client of the woman until December 2006, when he pulled her over and told her he could write $1,000 worth of traffic tickets.
Prosecutor Anne Toohey said the accused realised he could get sex for free, and he did not pay for sex that night or any other time over the next nine months, until the woman complained to police.
Miss Toohey said the woman was not worried about getting tickets but she was afraid of what else Connolly might do because he was corrupt.
She said Connolly had lied systematically in his interviews with police.
However defence lawyer Jonathan Eaton said Connolly never threatened the woman, and although he was a disgrace to the police uniform, he had not committed a crime.
The defence said the criminal charges stemmed from a misunderstanding, as Connolly thought the woman was happy to give him what he termed "freebies", because she never asked him for payment.
Police supportive of complainant
The Prostitutes Collective says the woman whose complaint sparked the charges against a former police officer is relieved his trial is over.
She was not in court but Anna Reed of the collective says the woman felt very supported by police, who believed her complaints.
Police say the conviction shows they are not treated any differently to anyone else when faced with criminal matters.
They say it is always disappointing when an officer abuses their position of trust.
Previous case
Last year Connolly was involved in a case where the police were sued due to his actions, which involved elbowing a handcuffed man in the face three times.
The judge in that case said he had exhibited smugness and arrogance when in the witness box, and that his gratuitous violence against a vulnerable man was reprehensible.
