Former Senior New Zealand Naval Officer Charged With Making Intimate Recordings

May 4th, 2018   |   General News

One of the country's former top naval officers has been revealed as the man charged with attempting to make intimate recordings inside the toilets at the New Zealand embassy in the United States.

Fred Keating was an assistant chief of Navy at Defence Headquarters in Wellington before being posted as a defence attache to the Washington embassy. 

Keating allegedly hid a camera in a unisex toilet area at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington DC and, according to charge sheets, attempted to make intimate recordings of a person between July 26 and 28 2017.

Last month Fred Keating appeared in the Auckland District Court in front of Justice Kevin Glubb where he entered a not guilty plea and elected a jury trial.

A staff member at the embassy found the camera and reported it. 

The charge of attempting to make an intimate visual recording carries a maximum penalty of three years imprisonment. 

Fred Keating at the New Zealand embassy in Washington DC in September 2017.

On Friday, the court heard how on July 27, 2017 a small covert camera was found which had been purposely hidden in a heating duct in the bathroom in the embassy. 

It was discovered about 1.30pm by a staff member when the camera fell onto the floor of the bathroom.

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Keating was subject to a search warrant by the New Zealand Police upon his return to the country. 

Fred Keating standing in front of the New Zealand embassy in Washington DC at a defence reception in September 2017.

The police found software on his computer. 

Although the alleged offending occurred in the US, the case is being heard in a New Zealand court as it occurred inside the embassy, which is deemed part of sovereign New Zealand.

Last month, Keating appeared in the Auckland District Court in front of Judge Kevin Glubb where he entered a not guilty plea and elected a jury trial.

Keating's lawyer, Graeme Newell, applied for name suppression, saying identifying him could bring extreme hardship to him, his family and his former employer.

However, Judge Glubb said Keating did not meet the threshold for continued name suppression and refused to grant it.

Newell immediately appealed that decision.

Crown prosecutor Brian Dickey said there had been an extensive police investigation at the Washington embassy.

On Tuesday in the High Court, Newell appealed Judge Glubb's decision in front of Justice Grant Powell, arguing naming Keating would cause undue hardship for his daughter and her employment.

However, Justice Powell said the man's affidavit was "actually very sparse on the issue". 

Justice Powell reserved his decision for the appeal until May 4, when he lifted the name suppression. 

In delivering his judgement Justice Powell said Keating's reasons did not come close to meeting the threshold for extreme hardship.

A spokesperson for the NZDF said Keating was no longer a serving member.

"The New Zealand Defence Force can confirm that Mr Keating's engagement with the NZDF ended as scheduled on 31 March, and he is no longer a member of the NZDF.

The NZDF was unable to comment further as the matter was before the court and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade referred all questions about the case to the police.

When approached by Stuff, Keating declined to comment on the court case and the charges he faced. 

WHO IS FRED KEATING?

Keating was born Alfred Harold Keating and is no relation of the current NZDF chief Tim Keating.

According to the NZDF website, Keating joined the Royal New Zealand Navy in January 1976 as a junior weapon electrical engineering mechanic.

In 1982, Keating was selected to undertake further education. He returned to sea in 1988 specialising in combat system engineering at HMNZS Canterbury.

In May 1987 he was commissioned following graduation from the RNZN Officer Training School and and saw sea service aboard HMNZS Wellington.

From July 2003 until December 2006 Keating was posted on assignment to US as an Assistant Naval Attache and a Senior Technical Officer.

In January 2007 he was promoted and assigned to Defence Headquarters in Wellington as Assistant Chief of Navy.

Keating's most recent role was the head of defence at Washington DC. According to his former Linkedin Page, he carried the responsibility of representing the interests of the NZDF and supporting wider diplomatic efforts to maintain a strong positive relationship with the two countries. 

Keating has two children from his first marriage and his daughter currently works for the Royal New Zealand Navy. 

In 2009, Keating spoke to The Dominion Post about the difficulty of living apart from his family. 

At the time he was commuting between his home in Auckland and his job in Wellington as the assistant chief of Navy.

"It's hard being away from my family. I miss the day-to-day interaction with the kids," he said.

"It's hard knowing I'm missing parent-teacher nights, school plays and concerts, sports practices . . . things like that, but we cram a lot of family stuff into the weekend.

"We try and do special things like mini- holidays where we can all be together," he said. 

In 2010, Keating took up a new role as the commanding officer of the Royal New Zealand Navy in Devonport.

He sent out a letter to the nearby residents after attending a meeting with community leaders. 

The letter reminded residents of the history of the naval base in Devonport. It noted the navy site was established in Devonport in the 1840s and it was moved to Calliope Pt in the 1860s.

"The navy and Devonport have had a very close relationship stretching back nearly 170 years," Keating said.

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