She was arrested and charged, placed under restrictive bail conditions, and silenced by wide-ranging suppression orders.
The gagging orders were put in place ostensibly to protect the reputation of McSkimming, who was one of the top candidates to replace outgoing Police Commissioner Andrew Coster.
He missed out on the top job after the sex claims were inadvertently discovered during the vetting process, and the police belatedly investigated the woman’s allegations at the end of last year.
McSkimming maintained his innocence and said the allegations were motivated by revenge to destroy his career.
However, during the course of the investigation, detectives discovered McSkimming had used his work devices to search for pornography, including bestiality and child sex exploitation material, for at least five years.
The 52-year-old resigned in disgrace and was later charged with possession of objectionable material. He pleaded guilty last week and will be sentenced next month.
But the full circumstances which led to his downfall have been unable to be reported until now.
The lapsing of suppression orders today means the Herald can now reveal that the police decided to prosecute the young woman over the anonymous emails instead of investigating her sex allegations.
“The Police have failed my client,” defence lawyer Steven Lack told the Herald.
Over a period of years, Lack said the young woman attempted to report allegations of a serious physical, psychological and sexual nature in relation to McSkimming.
“Instead of being heard, she was dismissed and ultimately prosecuted for speaking out and raising her concerns,” Lack said.
The Auckland barrister said the police had the opportunity to engage with her, to properly assess what she was saying, and to investigate her allegations.
“They could have viewed her as a traumatised victim. They chose not to,” Lack said.
“They accepted Mr McSkimming’s denials without meaningful inquiry and placed the full weight of the criminal justice system on my client for more than a year until the charge against her was withdrawn.
“Understandably this has had a devastating impact on her.”
Former deputy police commissioner Jevon McSkimming (centre) outside court after pleading guilty to possession of objectionable material. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Ultimately, the police did not lay charges against McSkimming following the woman’s complaint because there was not enough evidence.
A few weeks later, the Crown finally withdrew the Harmful Digital Communications Act charge laid against her.
For months, Lack had argued that she should never have been charged in the first place, and the ongoing prosecution was not in the public interest.
The way the complaints were handled should alarm all New Zealanders, Lack told the Herald.
“It suggests that the Police were more focused on protecting Mr McSkimming’s career and advancement than on properly assessing serious allegations of offending against him.
“The Police are an organisation entrusted by the community to protect and serve. In my client’s case, they did neither.”
The failure of some of the country’s top-ranking police officers to properly investigate the allegations made against their close colleague McSkimming, and to then use those emails as evidence to prosecute her, is the focus of an Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) investigation.
The inquiry looked into whether there has been “misconduct or neglect of duty” by any police officer or employee in the course of responding to the allegations.
The final report made critical findings against Coster and a number of other senior police officers.
Former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster (left) with deputy Jevon McSkimming at the sitting of a justice select committee in Parliament in 2023. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Coster, the chief executive of the Government’s Social Investment Agency, is now on leave.
He did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
Jared Savage covers crime and justice issues, with a particular interest in organised crime. He joined the Herald in 2006 and has won a dozen journalism awards in that time, including twice being named Reporter of the Year. He is also the author of Gangland, Gangster’s Paradise and Underworld.