Auckland, Oct 6 NZPA - Disgraced former MP Taito Phillip Field was today jailed for six years for bribery and corruption and perverting the course of justice.

Justice Rodney Hansen sentenced Field to four years in prison on the bribery and corruption charges and two years on the charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The sentences, handed down at the High Court in Auckland, are to be served cumulatively.

In August, a jury found the former Mangere MP guilty of 26 of the 35 criminal charges he faced at the end of a 14-week trial.

Field was found guilty of 11 of 12 charges of bribery and corruption after getting Thai nationals to carry out work on his properties in Auckland and Samoa in return for immigration assistance between November 2002 and October 2005.

He was also found guilty of 15 of 23 charges of wilfully attempting to obstruct or pervert the course of justice relating to evidence he gave to a government-ordered inquiry by Noel Ingram QC into his conduct.

Justice Hansen said today the jury must have accepted that Field knew he was accepting free work on his homes in return for immigration help from grateful Thai tradesmen.

"You saw the results, you must have known that their willing assistance was saving you tens of thousands of dollars," Justice Hansen said.

"In my view you quite consciously used their adulations of you for your private gain."

Justice Hansen also said the jury must have found Field was trying to avoid justice when making and arranging for false information to be given to the Ingram Inquiry.

"It is an aggravating factor that you recruited your Thai friends and Mr Sulusulu (another witness) into your web."

Field has consistently maintained his innocence but last week he apologised for the actions which led to his convictions. He also said his conscience was clear.

At a community meeting in Mangere he said he was apologising to the people of Mangere, and all of New Zealand, for allowing the outcome to occur.

He said while his conscience was clear he would accept whatever sentence he received.

A Maori elder was ordered out of court today after challenging the sentence at the end of the hearing.

Elected as Labour MP for Mangere in 1993, Field was expelled from the party in 2007.

He continued to represent the electorate as an independent MP before losing the seat to Labour's Sua William Sio in the 2008 general election.

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