A police officer's handling of a cannabis prosecution in Queenstown has been slammed by a District Court judge, leading to an internal review of the way the resort's police handled the case.
The decision by Judge Bernadette Farnan to dismiss all charges against two men relating to the sale of class C-controlled cannabis, opens the door for others convicted as a result of the police investigation last year to appeal those convictions.
At least one of the men will make a formal complaint with the Independent Police Complaints Authority over the actions of Queenstown Constable Jason Reid, the officer in charge of the investigation, who Judge Farnan said was ''reckless''.
She inferred that he acted in ''bad faith'' in his record-keeping and was ''misleading''.
Otago Lakes-Central acting area commander Senior Sergeant John Fookes said following the decision on August 12 this year, police had initiated an internal review of the issues raised by Judge Farnan.
