'I was targeted because I'm a cop' - policeman's drink spiked at pub

Nicholas Townsend, 24, of Ruapuke, near Raglan. Photo / Mike Scott

A policeman who had his drink spiked at the pub while watching the rugby believes he was targeted because he's a cop.

The officer was at a Waikato pub in May last year when Ruapuke man Nicholas Townsend walked in with his friends and joined his table.

By half time of the match, the victim's friends left and the cop decided to finish his beer and order a pizza to take home.

While away from the table, Townsend then opened the capsule - which the victim would later discover to be the class B drug oxycodone - and poured it into the beer bottle.

The victim then poured his beer into other people's glasses before consuming some himself.

Another person who had the tainted beer fell asleep inside the pub.

When challenged by police, Townsend admitted putting the drug into the beer bottle because that person was annoying him, court documents stated.

Oxycodene is a class B controlled drug and a moderate to severe painkiller that isn't meant to be taken with alcohol.

Townsend had just days earlier admitted driving charges which he was sentenced on in July, by Judge Philip Crayton.

Nicholas Phillip Townsend in the dock at the Hamilton District Court during sentencing for spiking a cop's drink with oxycodone at a pub. Photo / Mike Scott

Judge Crayton sentenced him to intensive supervision and judicial monitoring - where a judge receives three-monthly reports on the offender's progress.

Townsend was sentenced on his latest charge before Judge Crayton where he discussed with the police prosecutor that it appeared from the summary of facts, that there wasn't any "substantiated evidence that the victim was the target".

"It doesn't mean he's any less a victim or what was done any the less, but it does mean that there doesn't appear to be a basis because [victim] was targeted for his role in the community."

Judge Crayton said at the time of the offending, Townsend had just turned 24 and effectively was "for various reasons out of control around this time".

"He was behaving and making choices which were extremely reckless and that fed into the first series of offences involving the motor vehicle ... and clearly underpins what happened here."

Judge Crayton said Townsend was fortunate that he had engaged with his intensive supervision sentence and come out with "great maturity".

He convicted Townsend and sentenced him to 200 hours' community work and ordered him to pay $1000 in reparation to the victim.

'I believe I was targeted because I'm a policeman'

In reading his victim impact statement to the court, the policeman explained how he now works in a different town, after basing himself there for more than a decade, due to what happened.

"Although I didn't receive any physical injuries from this incident the effects of the night have left me anxious, fearful in public and extremely cautious."

The financial costs continued to mount up and would do into the foreseeable future, "with no end in sight".

On the day of the incident, he said he knew most of Townsend's friends, apart from Townsend who introduced himself to him.

He found out a few days later that his drink had been tampered with.

"That drug was oxycodone. This incident has had a huge impact on me and I am currently seeking help with this.

"My anxiety is high and ... this is the first time somebody has actually caused me harm while I was off duty.

"I have been threatened to kill while on the job and also been assaulted, often ending up with minor injuries and on numerous occasions, I have had people who have dealt with people for work end up at my residence and be verbally abused.

"I strongly believe that the incident on that night ... was solely because of my role as a policeman.

"I had not met or dealt with this person before that night, but my drink was the only one targeted and there were numerous other people in the bar at the time."