-
Source: Close Up -
Watch Video
-
Related
Former All Black Robin Brooke has issued a public apology to the
teenage girl who claims he
assualted her on New Year's Eve in Fiji.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with TVNZ's Close Up programme,
Brooke began by reading a prepared statement in which he apologised
for the incident and set out the actions he was taking to atone for
them
Brooke said: "Last week I met with the complainant, at her request,
to extend my apologies for my behaviour towards her in Fiji on New
Year's eve. I have at that meeting apologised personally to her and
her family and this apology has been accepted.
"As a result of that meeting I have agreed to certain conditions,
at her request, to enable her to put this incident behind her. The
conditions are to make a public apology, a donantion of $3,000 is
to be made to a charity of her choice, I'll undergo counselling,
I'll reimburse her airfare, I'll pay her family's legal fees.
"I now wish to apologies to her, and to her family, for my
behaviour in Fiji that night. It was unacceptable and in no way
provoked by her or any other person.
"The day after I genuinely tried to express my sincere regret to
her for my actions. I can understand how upset she was. I hope our
meeting, and the apology, will bring closure to her and her family
over an incident over which I am truly remorseful."
When asked by Close Up presenter Mark Sainsbury if he was making
the apology because he had to or because he was genuinely sorry,
Brooke replied: "I'm here to put something right, what happened
that night in Fiji, and I'm here because I want to be."
Brooke claims he drank so much alcohol that he has no recollection
of the events that led to the teeange girl's complaints, but
accepts her version of events. He also accepts that he assaulted
the teenage boy who tried to intervene in the incident.
However, Brooke could recall the events earlier in the evening when
he was snapped dressed in women's underwear, wearing tampons as
earrings.
Brooke claims the photographs were taken some six hours before the
incident with the teenage girl when he was in a different and
unconnected location. His explanation for his drag act was that it
was a forfeit for a lost swimming bet with another party
goer.
Brooke says that he wasn't made aware of the allegations of assault
until five days after the events of New Year's Eve when a security
guard informed him of the complaints.
He says he immediately contacted the teenage boy he accepts he
assaulted and apologised for his actions and also attempted to
contact the girl but was prevented from doing so by her
family.
Brooke faced allegations that he twice grabbed the 15-year-old
girl's backside while she was at a resort at Denarau, Fiji, on New
Year's Eve.
Fiji police also investigated another allegation that Brooke
assaulted the girl's friend, 17-year-old Jordan Whittaker, when he
stepped in to help. Whittaker claims Brooke threw him on a
deckchair, grabbed his throat and threatened him.
Pressed on why it had taken so long for any public statement on the
incident, Brooke said that his legal advice had been to refrain
from contacting the complainants and from speaking publicly about
the incident. Brooke said that he had then entered a legal process
which had culminated with his meeting the girl, apologising and
making a payment to a charity of her choice.
Brooke told Close Up host Mark Sainsbury the girl, who had saved up
to pay for her holiday, "had no reason for this to ever happen to
her."
"There's no winner in this whole situation, and I'm truly sorry
that it ever occurred," he said.
Brooke said he was disappointed in himself.
"I've let myself down. There's many rugby analogies, when you look
at yourself in the mirror, you've got to like what you see ... and
I don't."
