Job interview from hell: Student faces five convictions after lengthy car chase

A student who arrived three hours early for a job interview ended up leading police on a lengthy chase and racking up five convictions.

At 9am on December 2, Te Rau Mana Ramene Wirihana-Young, 28, went to Silver Fern Farms Balclutha for a job interview, the Dunedin District Court heard last week.

Upon being advised that he was too early and the interview was to take place over the phone rather than in person — with an employee who was coincidentally off work sick — the man became highly agitated.

Wirihana-Young told the office staff he had been promised the job.

“Make me leave ... I’m not leaving.”

More Silver Fern staff became involved, ushering him out of the office and locking the door behind him.

The man became “enraged” and immediately attempted to open the door, repeatedly threatening to return to the office as he knew who the victims were, the court heard.

Police were called as Wirihana-Young drove his BMW towards the Balclutha police station and he was spotted by a constable who was responding to the trespass call.

The man ignored the flashing lights of the police car following him and the constable was forced to abandon the pursuit due to excess speed.

Wirihana-Young was spotted at 9.30am by another officer on the Milton Highway and other units were deployed.

Road spikes were set down near Waihola, yet the defendant drove away with three tyres intact.

Multiple police units attempted to apprehend the man and after another set of spikes was deployed in Allanton, all four tyres were punctured.

This only slowed the defendant down as he continued for a further 10km, finally coming to a stop at the bottom of Mosgiel Hill on State Highway 1.

Once in custody, he stated he was trying to get back to Dunedin and did not want his car to be impounded.

Wirihana-Young pleaded guilty to two charges of intimidation, trespass, failing to stop for police and disqualified driving.

Counsel Steve Turner said his client had “been out of trouble since 2020 and had a clear motivation to attend university. This was just bad decision making in response to something that is a clear source of aggravation”.

Wirihana-Young reportedly made the move to Dunedin to pursue a more stable life and was determined to get a job to support him through his studies.

“If these people had told him that the interview wasn’t going to happen that day, maybe none of this would have ever happened,” Turner said.

Wirihana-Young was remorseful for his actions and wrote an apology letter to the victims involved, he said.

He was disqualified from driving for 12 months, received a deferred sentence of 12 months, fined $300 and ordered to pay $500 to his victims.