New Zealand Police sergeant David Brooke’s Kanga Cup groping case abandoned
A long-serving sergeant denied indecently assaulting a girl before the southern hemisphere’s biggest junior soccer tournament.
Canberra Star
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Prosecutors have abandoned a case against a veteran Kiwi cop, who denied groping a teenage girl while in Canberra for the biggest youth soccer tournament in the southern hemisphere.
David Brooke, a long-serving New Zealand Police sergeant, faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday, for what was expected to be the start of a four-day hearing.
However, prosecutors offered no evidence in relation to a charge of committing an act of indecency without consent.
Magistrate Alexandra Burt therefore dismissed the charge, to which Mr Brooke had pleaded not guilty.
Mr Brooke, 67, was arrested and charged in July 2023, when he was visiting the ACT to work as a senior referee and act as a mentor for junior officials at the Kanga Cup.
The day before play began, he attended a “scavenger hunt-style activity”, which involved participants striking a “superhero” pose near a fountain in Canberra’s city centre.
ACT Policing claimed Mr Brooke suggested lifting a teenage girl into a “flying Superman” position to earn extra points.
He was then alleged to have “aggressively lifted” the girl into the air and squeezed her breasts in the process.
Mr Brooke denied the indecent assault allegation.
In representations sent to the office of the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions in February, defence solicitor Satomi Hamon noted the incident had been captured on CCTV footage.
“It is clear from the objective footage that Mr Brooke’s right arm is nowhere near the complainant’s breast area,” Ms Hamon wrote.
“It appears Mr Brooke lifts the complainant by supporting her body on his forearms.
“From this position, it would not be possible for Mr Brooke’s hands to be located anywhere near the complainant’s breasts.”
Ms Hamon asked prosecutors to consider offering no evidence, writing that the case was “doomed to fail”.
On Tuesday, the start of Mr Brooke’s hearing was delayed to allow lawyers involved in the case some time to deal with preliminary issues.
When the matter was recalled, a prosecutor told the court further representations had been made during the break and a decision had been made to discontinue the case.
After another adjournment, during which the prosecutor informed the complainant of this decision, she formally offered no evidence.
Ms Burt awarded costs of the proceedings to Mr Brooke, who shook hands with a supporter as he left the courtroom.
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