A Tauranga judge used his power to amend a careless driving charge to dangerous driving after a man fled police and ended up trapped inside his car in ditch full of water.
In the Tauranga District Court Judge on Tuesday Thomas Ingram told John Kenneth David, 56, from Rotorua, that his driving was not mere carelessness.
Police initially charged David with driving in a dangerous manner but reduced the charge to careless use of a motor vehicle, a charge rejected by Judge Ingram.
Judge Ingram told David and his lawyer that the summary of facts as described by police did not reflect the lesser offence.
"This amounts to dangerous driving, all day, every day of the week, and I'm using my discretion to amend the charge to reflect that," he said.