Not-guilty pleas have been entered on behalf of a man who spent weeks in an induced coma after he was shot by police last year following an alleged wild chase through a series of Auckland suburbs.
Papatoetoe resident Amani Raumati, 28, was taken to Auckland City Hospital in critical condition on September 30 after the pursuit ended in Hillsborough.
He was subsequently charged with using a firearm against police, recklessly operating a vehicle, failing to stop for police, possession of methamphetamine, being unlawfully in possession of a Dan Wesson revolver, possessing a Mossberg .22 rifle for an unlawful purpose, and two counts of presenting the rifle at people.
If convicted of the using a firearm against police charge, he could potentially face a sentence of up to 14 years' prison. The maximum possible sentence for the methamphetamine charge is life imprisonment.
Raumati was scheduled to appear before Judge Sanjay Patel today in Manukau District Court via audio-visual feed. However, intimated not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf by defence counsel Gregor Morison after the defendant was unable to attend due to audio-visual access issues from jail.