Police officials in New Zealand have decided not to press charges against a freelance cameraman involved in the “teapot tapes” affair during last year’s election cycle. Allegedly, cameraman Bradley Ambrose intentionally recorded a conversation between Prime Minister John Key and Act Party Epsom candidate John Banks at a public press conference in Auckland. The tape was released by Mr. Ambrose to the New Zealand Herald which initiated a flurry of political backlash as the tape’s contents dominated election-time media coverage.
According to the New Zealand Herald, Mr. Ambrose denied the accusations, saying that he accidentally recorded the private conversation during the event while attempting to find a better vantage point for filming. He vehemently denies any wrongdoing and has since released an apology letter to the media expressing his regrets regarding the situation. Of course, there is no point in denying that such a tape would be quite valuable during election time, and one has to wonder at Mr. Ambrose’s true motives.
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The New Zealand Herald I
The New Zealand Herald II