Death after TV brothel raid

Immigration accused of Gestapo tactics

JOHN SELKIRK/The Dominion Post

FATAL JUMP: A man died after leaping from a top floor window in this Auckland brothel, Salon 33, during an immigration raid filmed for a reality TV show.

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A man who leapt from a brothel window during an immigration raid filmed for reality television later died, it has been revealed.

The Immigration Service and police have confirmed the incident happened at Salon 33, a Chinese massage parlour in Panmure, Auckland, on November 22.

Footage from the raid screened last month on TVNZ's Borderline series.

Former immigration minister Tuariki Delamere has accused the Immigration Service of using Gestapo tactics and conducting illegal raids for the show without proper documentation, a claim denied by officials.

Witnesses said the 38-year-old man panicked when he heard a commotion as officials and a Cream Media television crew entered the brothel. He then leapt from a window seven metres up.

He suffered serious injuries but was helped by a friend back to his home in Manukau, where he died the next day.

Police and immigration officers involved in the raid knew nothing of the man's injuries till friends told police of his death.

Neither police nor the Immigration Service would confirm the man's name, nationality or occupation. Neither would they say why he jumped to his eventual death.

Detective Senior Sergeant Karyn Malthus of Mangere CIB did not believe the man had worked at the brothel.

"That's an inference you can draw. I don't know what he was doing there.

"There's nothing suspicious about it. It's just a terribly unfortunate accident."

Police had investigated the death but no charges would be laid. The matter was set down for a coroner's inquest.

Mr Delamere represented a Chinese brothel worker caught up in the raid. He said she was served with an order revoking her visa but it was withdrawn when he challenged the raid's legality.

She told him the man was terrified when the raid began.

"Maybe he thought they were gangs. What precipitated his jumping out the window was a fishing raid by police and Immigration without warrants or deportation or removal orders. They just went from room to room hauling people out.

"We don't condone if [immigrants] are breaking the law. However, the Immigration Department has no right using Gestapo tactics to break in just because they want to be on reality television."

A spokeswoman for the Immigration Service said the Salon 33 visit was a routine operation and was not carried out specifically for the Borderline programme.

Immigration accepted no responsibility for the man's death.

TVNZ spokeswoman Melanya Burrows said the state broadcaster had not been aware of the incident till alerted by media yesterday.

It had asked the production company whether footage of the man was recorded. But Cream Media knew nothing of the incident.

Footage of Immigration and police officers entering Salon 33 and checking the immigration status of women screened on February 18.

- © Fairfax NZ News