Disgraced former top cop’s church ‘devastated’ by charges

Friday, 8 August 2025

The church attended by Jevon McSkimming is distancing itself from the former top cop amid the revelation he is facing a raft of what it describes as “deeply disturbing” charges.

McSkimming, who turned 52 on Thursday, is charged with eight counts of possessing objectionable material, including images that depict child sexual exploitation and bestiality.

Prior to his abrupt resignation in May, McSkimming had been the deputy police commissioner, making him the second most powerful police officer in New Zealand.

McSkimming was also known to be an active church goer and a regular at the Connect Church in Kāpiti.

However, following questions from The Post this week, the church’s trustees provided a statement describing the charges McSkimming faces as “deeply disturbing” and ruling out in-person attendance for him.

“As church leadership, we are devastated by this news. We want to make our position clear. The alleged behaviour reported on is in direct opposition to the biblical values our church upholds and incompatible with who we are as a church community,” the Connect Church Trustees said.

They added they were “especially mindful of those who may feel vulnerable, unsettled or hurt by the sensitive topics being discussed in the public domain, and of those who may be wrestling with a shaken sense of trust”.

Following further questions by The Post, the trustees said that while they couldn’t discuss individual attendees, they could confirm that in “situations like this, in-person attendance wouldn't be appropriate”.

McSkimming first appeared in the Wellington District Court via an audio visual link on July 3. At that time he was described as a “prominent” New Zealander due to wide-ranging suppression orders.

When he appeared in court again on Monday McSkimming didn’t ask for those suppression orders to continue, allowing the media to reveal his identity.

No plea was entered and Judge Tim Black remanded him on bail to appear in court again on November 6.

The charges span from July 2020 to December 2024. All eight are representative charges, meaning they potentially cover multiple incidents.

They are also category three offences ‒ punishable by imprisonment for a term ranging from two years to life.

Before he was charged, McSkimming sought a “super injunction” in the High Court, to prevent reporting of the nature of the material allegedly found on his work devices.

The existence of the injunction was later able to be reported, and last month the nature of the alleged objectionable matter ‒ that is, the child exploitation and bestiality imagery ‒ was able to be reported.

That left the only fact still under wraps was that McSkimming had already been charged, which has also now come to an end.

An independent review into the use of police technology ‒ initiated by Chambers in the wake of McSkimming’s resignation ‒ has also subsequently found the current systems were “inconsistent”, “inadequate” and “insufficient”.

McSkimming, through his lawyer Letizea Ord, did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.