Police are powerless to stop a Wellington man who is parading the streets making false allegations against Winston Peters.
Brian Russell is using his car and trailer to drive around the capital spreading highly offensive and untrue claims about the foreign minister.
Russell has failed to get a personal matter heard in the courts, so he is seeking attention on the streets and on the internet, by blatantly defaming a high profile politician with no connection to his case.
But because the criminal libel law was repealed 14 years ago, there is nothing police can do to stop Russell.
Under the law people who published libellous material, knowing it to be false, could have been jailed for two years.
To stop libel being published, victims now have to hire their own lawyer and take civil action, as no crime has been committed.
Russell's deliberate defamation has so far only copped a warning.
Winston Peters is in Finland, but his office says he is considering legal action on his return.
