Patience Pari appearing in the Rotorua District Court. Photo / Andrew Warner
Patience Pari appearing in the Rotorua District Court. Photo / Andrew Warner
An out-of-control driver who smashed into a car containing a mother and her kids has been given one more chance to find somewhere acceptable to live to carry out an electronic sentence or she will be going to jail.
Patience Tina Maree Pari appeared in the Rotorua District Court on Wednesday and was to be sentenced by Judge Greg Hollister-Jones.
Pari had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving causing injury, refusing a police request to give blood, resisting police and aggravated assault.
On July 25, Pari drove her car at a vehicle being driven by Rotorua woman Annemarie Gallagher, who had just picked up her children from school.
Pari’s speeding car missed hitting the Gallaghers’ vehicle head-on but struck its rear.
A police summary of facts obtained by the Rotorua Daily Post said Pari sped off and rammed into the back of a vehicle further down Devon St with three men inside.
Pari accelerated, pushing the vehicle forward before backing up and striking it again, the summary said. Two of the men were taken to hospital and treated for whiplash.
Police arrived and Pari ran off. When a police officer caught her, she punched the officer twice to the left side of her temple in an attempt to avoid being arrested, the summary said.
The summary said an open beer bottle was found in Pari’s car, which smelled of alcohol.
Judge Hollister-Jones this week he couldn’t send her to live at a Gisborne house she proposed because details were lacking about what support she would have there.
The case was stood down for a couple of hours to allow Community Probation to make inquiries.
The back of Annemarie Gallagher's car after Patience Pari's vehicle struck it.
When the matter was recalled, a Community Probation spokeswoman said there were some red flags, including the address being linked to gang members and family violence. The red flags hadn’t been corroborated but it was enough for Judge Hollister-Jones to refuse it.
The Community Probation spokeswoman said Pari had put forward five addresses and each time either occupants hadn’t given consent, hadn’t been willing to talk with Community Probation or were deemed unsuitable.
She said it was her understanding the last adjournment was to explore Pari getting a place at a residential rehabilitation centre, such as Odyssey House.
Judge Hollister-Jones said he was prepared to grant one final adjournment.
”This is serious,” he said to her. “The starting point [for sentencing] is imprisonment ... unless you sort an electronic-monitoring address by next hearing, you will be sentenced to prison.”
Pari was remanded on bail to reappear for sentencing on March 14 at 10.30am.
