Youth remanded after Northland car chase

A youth was remanded in custody when he appeared in court in Whangarei yesterday on charges related to a car chase in Northland at the weekend.

Laurence Hill, also known as Laurence Paul, 19, entered no plea to charges of failing to stop, dangerous driving causing injury, failing to give his name and address, theft of a car and unlawfully taking a vehicle.

He was remanded in custody without plea until May 16 when he appeared in Whangarei District Court.

The Police Complaints Authority has been notified about two police pursuits in Northland at the weekend, one in Whangarei and one on the Awanui Straights near Kaitaia.

Far North police area commander Mike Rustbatch said it was standard practice for the authority to be notified whenever anyone was injured as a result of police actions.

"It doesn't just relate to pursuits, it relates to any police action," he said.

Mr Rustbatch said once Far North police had spoken to the witnesses and completed their investigation of the crash scene on the Awanui Straights, they would look at what charges the driver might face.

"Separate from that we will also be looking at processes and procedures of the pursuit. That's standard practice whenever anyone is injured as part of a pursuit."

The Awanui pursuit involved five Kaitaia people, including four males and a female, aged between 14 and 16.

Their car crashed into a ditch, leaving four people injured.

Two of the occupants were treated in Whangarei Hospital's children's ward yesterday and discharged, one remains in the intensive care unit and a fourth injured person is reported to be making good progress in Kaitaia Hospital.

The incidents come a year after strict new rules for police pursuits were introduced.

The rules were released not long after high-profile cases in which innocent victims were killed in crashes.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)