29 Jul 2010

Kidnap family unhappy at TV drama

5:41 pm on 29 July 2010

The family at the centre of a kidnapped baby drama in 2002 says it did not agree to a television recreation of the case.

Eight-month-old Kahu Durie was abducted at gunpoint by Terence Traynor, who sought a ransom of $3 million for her return.

Police found her in a Taumarunui house nine days later.

Traynor was released from prison last year and Kahu is now eight.

Stolen: The Baby Kahu Story was screened on TV3 on Wednesday.

An email from her father, Sir Edward Durie, which was leaked to Radio New Zealand, says the family did not agree to the programme and learned of it only by chance.

Sir Edward says he went to South Pacific Pictures in Auckland to protest, but by then it was too late to effect a change.

South Pacific says its script was made available to the family, whose suggestions and requests for amendments were noted.

Children's Commissioner John Angus said the programme should not have been made.