Police made errors, says chief

The Central North Island police chief says police in Taranaki made errors the night they tried to catch a drunken driver who killed three young people in a horrific crash.

"Many things were done right, but there were some errors in tactics," said Superintendent Mark Lammas, District Commander for the Central Police District. Despite mistakes that night, "people should be in no doubt" that it was Raymond John Hansen who was responsible for the deaths and injuries in the crash a few kilometres from Hawera on the night of August 14 last year. Mr Lammas made his statement as he released a police report into the crash after an investigation.

Hansen, 39, an Eltham farmhand who once played rugby for Taranaki, was jailed for nine years and ordered to serve at least five years last November after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of Aaron Hurley, 22, Paul Donald Cowper, 21, and Rochelle Lee Meads, 22.

Hansen also pleaded guilty to drink-driving causing injury to Kurt Johnson and Erin Downs. The five young people were on their way home from a function when the crash happened. Hansen's car ploughed into the van, driven by Johnson - the designated driver who had had nothing to drink - on the notorious Normanby overbridge.

Police had earlier tried to catch Hansen and thought they had him at a bar at Hawera, but missed him when he got into his car and drove off. Following the crash the van burst into flames, the fire was so intense it destroyed the van and melted the tarseal.

- NZPA