A Christchurch businessman has been awarded $350,000 in damages following allegations made by Winston Peters and a gang-linked debt collector which were then broadcast on TV show Campbell Live. The court heard that: "On the morning of 11 March 2014 two intimidating men arrived at Mr Staples' home to serve him with 'debt acquisition documents'. Winston Peters could not be sued for defamation because his comments were protected by parliamentary privilege. In her ruling, Justice Doogue said: "Mr Freeman knowingly and cynically encouraged Mr Peters to make defamatory allegations in Parliament because parliamentary privilege would leave Mr Staples with no recourse against Mr Peters." A large section of Peters' speech was then broadcast on two occasions on MediaWorks TV show Campbell Live.

Source: New Zealand Herald June 05, 2021 06:33 UTC