3 News along with other news organisations was given permission to read some of the court documents relating to the Tony Veitch case, and they provide an insight into not only Tony Veitch but the women in his life.
The file contains a stack of legal documents, along with references and emails - including one from Kristin Dunne-Powell which was briefly mentioned in court.
Written nearly ten months after the attack it says: "I have no intention of ruining you or your career and understand just how much all that means to you."
"It’s not about the money. It's about both of us 'paying.' in this case literally to the terrible situation we created."
Two days later, Veitch wrote back, saying: "So Kristen Louise Dunne I say to you, good luck with your future. Again I say with utter sadness how sorry I am for all that happened. That type of behaviour was not "us", not even close. We are much better people than that. I know in my heart that certainly was not me. How I ever got to that level of life defies belief. But just know I intend never to get back there again!"
There are 20 character references supporting Veitch some from well known New Zealanders like Graham Henry, Dame Susan Devoy and Veitch’s former colleague Bernadine Oliver Kirby.
But the most moving reference is from Veitch’s wife, Zoe, who wrote to the Judge without her husband's knowledge.
She says: "I was with him during a number of his counselling sessions, as he tried to come to terms with how he could be driven to such a devastating point.
Tony found those sessions incredibly difficult, but in the end they were fundamental for us to build a rock solid platform for marriage, and children in the near future."
She goes on to talk about Veitch’s depression, saying: "while the media have reported two occasions of attempts to take his life, I can recount at least seven times when tony had lost all hope to live.
You cannot imagine a wife's fear coming home and finding your husband missing and out of contact. I am just so relieved we managed to keep him with us during those dark times."
And she concluded by saying to the judge she hoped Veitch would be given the chance to work once again with the charities he loved.
3 News