The man, who has interim name suppression, appeared via video link in the High Court in Nelson from Christchurch prison this morning for a call-over but entered no pleas to the charges linked to Fleming’s death.
He was remanded back in custody with interim name suppression extended until February 28 when he was due to appear in court, in person.
His appearance via AVL was despite the usual practice that a defendant appear in person at a first High Court appearance. Members of Fleming’s family, accompanied by police, were present in court, but no one was present for the defendant.
Justice Dale La Hood said in a minute issued to the media that neither the Crown nor the police opposed a request by the defence that he not appear in person on the basis that no plea would be entered.
The accused appeared via audio-visual link from custody this morning before Justice Dale La Hood, and defence lawyer John Sandston (top left of video screen) with Crown prosecutor Mark O'Donoghue also in court. Photo / Pool
Fleming was injured alongside her colleague, Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay, and another officer when a car was rammed into her and a police car. Two members of the public were also injured.
Fleming and her colleagues had been doing foot patrols in central Nelson when they were allegedly set upon with the vehicle in Buxton Square about 2.10am.
The 62-year-old succumbed to her injuries in hospital that day, surrounded by her family, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said at the time.
The 32-year-old arrested soon after made a brief appearance in the Nelson District Court on January 3. He appeared in the High Court in Nelson today before Justice La Hood where he entered no pleas to charges including murder.
He faced seven other charges including attempted murder, assault using a vehicle as a weapon, wounding with intent, dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.
Interim name suppression was granted at the man’s initial appearance so a relative overseas could be informed about the charges.
It was set to expire on January 10 but the man’s lawyer, John Sandston, filed for an extension until his appearance in the High Court today.
The interim order was re-issued today, and Sandston sought a two-week adjournment, confident that pleas would be ready to be entered on February 28 at the defendant’s next appearance.
Justice La Hood also set a nominal trial date at today’s procedural hearing of May 2026, if not guilty pleas were entered later this month.
Crown prosecutor Mark O’Donoghue raised in court the matter of a take-down order related to earlier media articles that named the defendant, and a position from X (formerly Twitter) which has refused to remove material that named the defendant without a signed High Court order.
He said X was being “uncooperative and obstructive”.
“The Crown has made a further application and it’s disappointing that X has said it won’t take it down unless there’s a signed High Court order,” O’Donoghue said.
Sandston said earlier that his client acknowledged this was a tragic event, and whatever happened that night the outcomes for many people and many victims were utterly tragic.
Fleming was the first policewoman to be killed in the line of duty in New Zealand. She was also the first police officer to be killed while on duty in Nelson, Chambers said.
She was farewelled last month at a large ceremony in Nelson attended by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.
