Sir Ron Brierley: Three guilty pleas and a fall from Olympus
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He was always a private man , says Georgina Beyer, who once slept in Sir Ron Brierley s bed. Oh not when he was in it, of course, she laughs. Rather, it was a coincidence of a broken marriage and her step-father Colin Beyer flatting with Brierley in early 1970s Wellington.
It illustrates the close proximity Beyer enjoyed to watch the creation of a new royalty. Brierley, her step-father Colin and uncle Trevor Beyer, along with others in their circle, redefined wealth in New Zealand.
Those who founded Brierley Investments Limited have been called titans of business but in Greek mythology, the titans were the old gods who were overthrown. Rather, these men were the new gods who savaged New Zealand s traditional definition of wealth.
New Zealand tycoon Ron Brierley pleads guilty to possessing child sexual abuse images Businessman will be sentenced later over allegations more than 1,600 images of child abuse were stored on a database
Ron Brierley was arrested at Sydney international airport in December 2019 over possession of child sexual abuse images. Photograph: Jenny Evans/Getty Images
Ron Brierley was arrested at Sydney international airport in December 2019 over possession of child sexual abuse images. Photograph: Jenny Evans/Getty Images
AssociatedPress
Thu 1 Apr 2021 01.52 EDT
One of New Zealand’s most well-known businessmen has pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse images, including some showing children as young as two.
Stop Demand founder and barrister Denise Ritchie told
Checkpoint under the public opinion, it would be considered wrong for him to hold a royal honour under these circumstances. There was always the alternative for the prime minister s office to not take any steps until later in the month when he is sentenced, so we wanted to pre-empt that [with a statement]. Given his guilty plea, we thought the process should be relatively straightforward and there was no reason for the process [of removing his knighthood] not to begin immediately, so well done to the PM, it was a decisive step forward.
New Zealand moves to strip knighthood over child porn
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New Zealand moves to strip knighthood over child porn
AFP / Apr 1, 2021, 09:13 IST
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WELLINGTON: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern moved to strip high-profile businessman Ron Brierley of his knighthood on Thursday after the Sydney-based octogenarian pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography.
In what is believed to be an unprecedented move, Ardern s office said she had launched action to remove the honour, which was bestowed on New Zealand-born Brierley in 1988. There is a process for forfeiture, and the prime minister has asked for this to be initiated, a spokesman said.
Sir Ron Brierley.
Photo: Getty Images
Having honed his skills in the 1970s, Brierley s self-named investment company set about finding suitable targets.
It looked for the lame, the tired, the old, and the defenceless companies that were undervalued, underperforming, and ripe for taking.
Brierley Investments would make an offer that few chose to ignore. Having secured a prize it would then look to add value - more often than not through restructuring, taking out costs, dismemberment, asset sale, and then selling the core or rump of the target.
In the space of two decades, Brierley Investments had played with Air New Zealand, Dominion Breweries, New Zealand News (publishers of the now defunct Auckland and Christchurch Stars), Sky City Entertainment, New Zealand Insurance, Australia s Fairfax Holdings, Rothmans, Britain s Thistle Hotel chain, and the UK investment bank Guiness Peat.