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police for advice. The recent addition of Stewart to the staff made the engagement easier. As a former police officer who had worked as a member of the Diplomatic Protection Squad, he was able to see benefits in talking to the local police about the current security problems, but also to work out a plan for fast-response help if the Dotcom family came under threat from outside sources.

The fear of violence and kidnapping was always high, even in a relatively safe country like New Zealand. The fear of the threats was a factor in hiring Stewart — the Diplomatic Protection Squad was a team of security-vetted body-guards who protected the prime minister, other local VIPs and visitors to New Zealand deemed to be at possible risk. Homan was welcomed in, parked his car outside the garage and walked up to the main mansion area where he met Dotcom. Tempero recalled: “The Boss couldn’t believe the car he was driving. He offered to buy him a Lamborghini for the community constable’s car. With what he was driving, if we needed him he’d never get here in time.”

The detail of the visit was captured secretly on a camera hidden inside a pen, given to Homan by police planning the raid, to record the interior of the mansion and any security precautions. It later emerged police went as far as seeking special legal advice to make sure they were acting lawfully using the camera. In documents on the court file, Dotcom said the recording meant police were aware of the “vulnerability of my wife . . . In that state she was particularly susceptible to any anxiety and distress or shock such as must have been anticipated to have been the result of the strategy and tactics employed by the authorities.” He said the assault failed to take into account “the safety, welfare and wellbeing of my wife and children”.

Weeks after the raid, Tempero invited selected media into the mansion to view the damage done. It was an empty and hollow place without the Dotcom family, or the 50 staff who worked there. The damage was everywhere — door frames were smashed where police had pounded or kicked their way into rooms. The dumbwaiter had been smashed in with hammers by police confused about the interior of the mansion and racing against time to seize Dotcom before he used his “Doomsday Device” to destroy all evidence against him world-wide.

“All they needed to do was to knock on the door,” said Tempero, unconsciously echoing the police press release weeks beforehand.

The Megaupload defendants were back at the North Shore District Court the following Monday. It would be the first of a series of failed bail applications.

Dotcom was doubtful of their chances, blaming a “black media campaign”, pointing to the police press release and the loaded FBI indictment.