The identical twin brother of a man whose young baby appeared to be fed alcohol in a video that went viral says he has been unfairly targeted.
The clip, which circulated across Facebook and news websites on Monday, showed his brother sitting on a couch laughing while a friend tips the end of a Long White near the baby's mouth.
It is unclear if the baby swallowed any alcohol, but the gesture garnered widespread outrage.
Now the twin brother, who Newshub has chosen not to name to protect the identity of his niece, says that over the last 24 hours he has been dealing with online trolls sending cruel private messages, posting nasty comments and leaving negative business reviews.
One woman left a one-star rating on his business' Facebook page stating he "shouldn't be allowed children" and said he was a "disgusting parent".
Another messaged him directly saying: "Is this the sort of behaviour that you condone as a business? Disgusting."
On Tuesday, police officers showed up to his address with printed out shots from the video, asking questions and comparing the siblings' tattoos.
"His [his brother] fight now is about his kid, my fight is to clear my name," the man told Newshub.
"Family always family but at the moment I have distanced myself from my twin."
He said he wished people could consider there might be more to the story before lashing out online, as the situation has affected his mental health.
In the wake of receiving hurtful messages, the man made a heartfelt plea to be left alone.
"I do not find any humour in this, nor would I ever joke about feeding alcohol to a child."
The man said that he has worked extremely hard to build his business from the ground up and is devastated his brother could make a poor decision towards a child.
He was in disbelief when the police turned up to his place on Tuesday to ask questions about the video.
"The after effect of this now affects me and my business as well.
"Please do not leave any more negativity on my business accounts or my personal one as I do not have anything to do with this. I too am disappointed and hope he [his brother] can make better decisions in the future."
Detective Senior Sergeant Eddie Sutherland told Newshub on Wednesday they are making inquiries after the video surfaced online and child services are now involved.
"We understand that members of our community found this video extremely concerning and we want to assure them that we will work closely with Oranga Tamariki on addressing this matter."
