Napier electrician sentenced for falsifying a meth test in custody battle

Napier electrician Christian Larsen falsified a positive meth test for a court custody battle. Photo File

A 53-year-old Napier electrician who falsified a private drug test for a court custody battle has been sentenced to home detention.

Christian Alfred Larsen appeared in Napier District Court on Friday to hear his fate after earlier admitting attempting to pervert the course of justice, a charge which carries a maximum penalty of seven years' jail.

Judge Geoff Rea said Larsen had been involved in a custody battle in the Family Court around the issue of his then alleged methamphetamine use.

"It's not often someone gets caught out quite as badly as you have been," Judge Rea said.

"Somehow, with your knowledge and your encouragement, the test got falsified.

"The whole thing had been rigged and the negative test the judge had in front of him had been doctored to quite a significant level."

Larsen first appeared on the charge on April 4, where the court was told the electrician undertook a hair sample test at his own volition, paid for by himself in June 2017.

On receiving the private test from a laboratory, which came back positive for methamphetamine, he then altered the documents to show a negative result, and emailed it to his lawyer to use as evidence in a Family Court matter.

Concerns were later raised around the results of the negative tests by his ex-partner.

Further investigations revealed the documents had been altered.

A summary of facts showed he then tried to stop discovery of the genuine results by refusing to permit the laboratory from releasing the information.

"Normally, this offending would attract a term of imprisonment, as courts have to be in a position to make decisions around what is fact," Judge Rea said.

Instead, Larsen was sentenced to 10-months' home detention and ordered not to use drugs or alcohol and to undergo additional counselling.