An Auckland police officer charged with destroying his own evidential blood sample did not want to comment when approached by the Herald after his court hearing on Thursday. Photo / Dean Purcell
An Auckland police officer charged with destroying his own evidential blood sample did not want to comment when approached by the Herald after his court hearing on Thursday. Photo / Dean Purcell
An off-duty cop busted drink-driving late one night in central Auckland drove to a police station shortly after he was caught and swiped his evidential blood samples.
Details of the 33-year-old officer's offending, to which he pleaded guilty last month, have emerged after a judge authorised the release of a summary of facts to media.
Judge Maria Pecotic yesterday declined the man's application for ongoing interim name suppression, sought on the grounds he had yet to tell his elderly mother.
However, he cannot yet be named as he is still mulling an appeal.
Shortly after midnight on July 24, the police officer of four years' experience was driving an Audi hatchback on Quay St in the central city.
Having previous worked with an Impairment Prevention Team based at the Harbour Bridge patrol base on the North Shore, he knew exactly where his blood samples would be kept.
He travelled to the station to retrieve and destroy the samples.
On his way, he pulled over and donned a police uniform, the summary of facts said.
At the main gate, his electronic swipe card failed as he no longer required access to the station.
Undeterred, he drove to a colleague's home where he obtained a valid swipe card, eventually gaining access to the station at 4.17am.
He made his way to the area blood samples were stored and worked out which were his.
The man took his samples home in a courier package and poured two vials of blood down the toilet, destroying the evidence against him.
In doing so, he traded an offence carrying a maximum prison term of three months or a $4500 fine for the crimes of burglary and perverting the course of justice, with possible terms of 10 and seven years respectively.
He told police he did it because he "felt ashamed for having driven with excess alcohol and he had dishonoured himself," the summary said.
"He had been drinking alcohol and acted without thinking."
An Auckland police officer charged with destroying his own evidential blood sample did not want to comment when approached by the Herald after his court hearing on Thursday. Photo / Dean Purcell
He pleaded guilty early in the court process to perverting the course of justice, burglary and driving while forbidden, and will be sentenced in November.
The man has been stood down and an employment process is under way, a police spokesman said.
At yesterday's hearing, he argued via his lawyer Todd Simmonds that suppression was needed to allow time to inform some family and friends of the case, especially his elderly mother who he said would be distressed and devastated by the news.
However, Judge Pecotic said he had already been given an indulgence by the court after earlier successful applications for interim suppression.
"The principle of open justice is important," Judge Pecotic said.
She said a very high threshold needs to be met to achieve ongoing name suppression on the grounds of extreme hardship.
Police were neutral on his application for ongoing suppression.
Simmonds said his client knew he would lose name suppression at his sentencing in November and was not going to apply for permanent suppression.
In declining his application for ongoing interim suppression, Judge Pecotic said she had already advised him to tell everyone he needed to about the situation he found himself in.
"The fact you did not do that is on you," Judge Pecotic said.
