I am the 46 year old broadcaster granted interim name suppression after being charged with disorderly conduct in Auckland on December 29th last year.

The police have offered me diversion for this offence and it remains before the court and subjudice while I work through the diversion process over the next 3 months.

However, in an effort to set the record straight and end speculation the Police Prosecutions Service has allowed me to release this statement once the suppression lapses this morning.

I have no problem in admitting that I behaved like a right plum that morning on Quay Street.

My wife, two young sons and I missed the 11am ferry sailing because I was watching Manchester United draw with Birmingham.

As a result, the atmosphere was a little frosty and my wife dropped me at the terminal and drove away without realising my bag and wallet were in the boot.

I walked across Quay Street into a lane of traffic to stop the car and get my bag.

Once stationary, for some inexplicable reason I sat on the car’s bonnet.

It was stupid and I apologise.

I have always been and continue to be a very big supporter of the police and I am sincerely sorry for wasting their time and that of the court.

Regarding the media coverage there has been… several reports have described me as a “household name”. I think we all agree that description is totally inaccurate.

In an unconfirmed and unattributed report by the NZ Herald and herald.co.nz last week, the newspaper claimed that my wife and I were having a “rowdy tiff” on Quay Street. In yesterday’s Herald on Sunday in another unofficial report, the newspaper claimed we were having a “blazing row”. Those reports were incorrect. In fact, we weren’t actually talking to each other.

Now that I can be named I’m hopeful the newspapers will go away and find a much more worthy story for the front page.

I sought name suppression in an effort to try and protect my children from being identified and embarrassed by my behaviour.

Obviously the only effective way to prevent that was not to do it in the first place.

Issued by:

Martin Devlin