Accused: I was trying to save boy

A police officer in court on assault charges says he was trying to help the defendant.

A police officer charged with a domestic assault on his nephew has told a Napier jury he only grabbed the young teen because he thought the boy was suffering a medical event.

The man's claim came yesterday as he gave evidence on the second day of his trial before Judge Geoff Rea and a jury of six men and six women in Napier District Court.

It follows allegations by the 13-year-old that the off-duty officer grabbed him by the neck and pushed him backwards during a visit to the boy's home in June last year.

The boy told police he was playing a PlayStation game in the lounge of his home and became angry over the result of his game, and smashed the PS3.

His uncle, who had been working on a boat outside, called the boy's name and an assault allegedly occurred after the child did not respond - the boy telling police he was grabbed by the neck as his uncle asked: "Are you deaf?"

He told police he was then made to stand up before being pushed backward but then the boy rushed off to his room, where, according to his older brother, he was crying but wouldn't say what was wrong.

The accused, represented by Palmerston North barrister Peter Coles, said yesterday he became alarmed when he could see through the lounge window that the boy had not responded after the officer called out, and tapped on the window.

The boy appeared motionless and he thought there was something wrong with him, the accused said.

The officer said he had always had a good relationship with his nephew, his brother's son, and had had no issues with the boy in the past.

He denied to Crown prosecutor Rebecca Guthrie he had asked the boy if he was "deaf".

He said: "It was not the right thing to say to someone you're trying to save."

In evidence expected to continue today, the accused's brother said he came home later in the day, by which time the accused had gone home.

His son seemed "happy" until the boy's brother prodded him and asked their father if he'd heard about the boy's "rage-quit", a term the family had coined for bailing out of computer games because of a poor result.

The family also used a term "hedgehog" for when the boy put on his "thousand yards" stare.

The boy dropped to the ground and hid beneath a table as his brother spoke.

After a phone call, he was collected by his mother soon afterwards.

The case continues.