Dinner dispute: PM would appear as witness if called

1:36 pm on 13 September 2016

Prime Minister John Key will appear in court if required, as a witness to an incident involving an unpaid restaurant bill in Wellington in 2012, he says.

22082016 Photo: Rebekah Parsons-King. Caucas run. John Key.

Prime Minister John Key said he would appear in court as a witness if called upon. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

Fairfax is reporting a Wellington man, Kent Boyd, is going to court to seek $10,000 compensation from the police, after being held in police cells overnight.

According to reports, he claimed Mr Key's Diplomatic Protection Service staff over-reacted and manhandled him after a conversation with Mr Key at the Green Parrot.

The confrontation was said to have occurred after Mr Boyd thought Mr Key had offered to pay the bill for his meal, and was then detained when he tried to leave without paying.

Mr Key said, as it was a police matter, he could not go into too much detail about the events of that night.

"The guy's taking an action against the police ... so I'm nothing but a witness.

"But the only thing I'd say is like everything in life there's always a different version of events," Mr Key said.