A police officer who drove two-and-a-half times the speed limit during an unjustified chase, and then hit and injured a civilian, has kept his licence and avoided a conviction.
Photo: RNZ / Patrice Allen
The Waikato officer drove 129km/h in a suburban 50km zone before crashing into a car and injuring the other driver.
A police review found the officer should not have pursued the motorcyclist at all, because although the rider was speeding it wasn't excessive nor dangerous.
The two officers in the car also later told police they only crashed because the civilian car had reversed into their path. However, CCTV footage showed that was not the case and the civilian did not reverse or roll backwards. The police car had crashed into the civilian, not the other way around.
A police investigation recommended charging the two officers in the car with perverting the course of justice by claiming the car reversed into them.
But then an internal review of that investigation decided not to charge the officers, because "there was not enough evidence to prove the officers conspired to pervert or obstruct the course of justice," the IPCA summary said.
Police did charge the officer with dangerous driving, which he pleaded guilty to. A judge granted him a discharge without conviction.
Police said the officer did not lose his licence, despite going 79km above the limit and that he was talked to in an employment process.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority was satisfied that the police's employment process appropriately dealt with the matter.