Police officer charged with tipping off drug suppliers, drug possession

Author: Tara Shaskey,
Publish Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2026, 8:57pm

Senior Constable Peter Gray of Whanganui police, pictured in 2015 at a children's event. Photo / NZME

A police officer has been accused of tipping off suspected drug dealers about planned police search warrants.

Whanganui senior constable Peter Elliot Gray, 61, is before the court facing multiple charges, including drug possession.

The court has confirmed name suppression is not in place for Gray, while police have told NZME he is suspended on full pay.

According to court documents released to NZME, Gray is alleged to have unlawfully searched a restricted database and “alerted drug suppliers of planned police search warrants”.

As a result, he faces charges of using a computer system for dishonest purposes, and a representative charge of wilfully attempting to pervert the course of justice between July 1 and July 16, 2025.

A representative charge means he allegedly repeated the act more than once.

Gray also faces charges that on August 28, 2025, he had in his possession a cannabis plant, two glass pipes used for smoking methamphetamine, and a pipe for consuming cannabis.

The perverting the course of justice charge carries a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment.

Police confirmed an officer was before the courts facing serious charges, listing the allegations Gray faced.

He is suspended from duty while the court process is ongoing, Central District Commander Superintendent Dion Bennett told NZME.

Bennett said the matter had been referred to the Independent Police Conduct Authority.

“As this matter is still before the courts, Police are unable to comment further.”

However, in a follow-up inquiry, Bennett confirmed the officer was suspended on full pay.

In July, changes were made to an internal New Zealand Police policy, allowing staff to be suspended without pay in a greater range of circumstances, such as when serious breaches of the Code of Conduct are alleged, or criminal charges are laid.

The policy change followed the Jevon McSkimming scandal, in which the then Deputy Police Commissioner was suspended on full pay for more than four months while under criminal investigation by the police and the Independent Police Conduct Authority over allegations in a separate matter.

The charges against Gray were filed in the Whanganui District Court late last year by a Hastings police detective.

Gray is next due to appear in court for a callover hearing on October 21.

Tara Shaskey is an assistant editor and reporter for the Open Justice team. She joined NZME in 2022 and has worked as a journalist since 2014.