Woman accused of ramming Auckland police car not guilty by reason of insanity

A 61-year-old Northland woman accused of ramming a police car in central Auckland then spitting on an officer later in the day after she had been released on bail, has been found not guilty by reason of insanity.

The woman was arrested on July 7 last year after allegedly driving away from Princes Wharf towards an intersection at Hobson St. She then appeared to perform a U-turn, accelerating and driving a 1.3litre Toyota hatchback into a police car.

The crash was caught on video.

Auckland District Court Judge Pippa Sinclair issued her insanity findings last month for six of the seven charges against the woman: assault with is blunt instrument, failing to stop for police, driving in a dangerous manner, assaulting police (manually), willful trespass and injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

The defendant returned to court today to plead guilty to the one remaining charge - breaching the terms of her zero-alcohol licence by driving with 12 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

"The amount of intoxication could only be viewed as low," Judge Sinclair said, describing the charge as "closely annexed" to the other ones for which she was found insane.

The judge ordered her licence suspended for three months, as is mandatory under the law, but backdated it to July 2021 due to the circumstances of the situation and the fact the defendant hadn't driven since her arrest.

Defence lawyer Clare Watkins said her client had been a delivery driver prior to the incident.

Getting her licence back, she said, will allow the woman to "go out and get off the benefit and get her life back on track".

Had the woman been found guilty of the non-alcohol-related charges, she could have faced up to 10 years' imprisonment.

Soon after her arrest, the woman was taken to an acute mental health unit. She was described in court at the time as acutely unwell.

She's now back in the community, but under a compulsory treatment order that she wishes to remain under, the judge noted today.

"Her whānau is aware of her needs," the judge said.