Series of driving and police-related offences sends Whanganui man to jail

Whanganui police were resisted, threatened and given false information by Cory James Tui who was sentenced to imprisonment in Whanganui District Court. Photo / Bevan Conley

A police officer had fears of being assaulted after arresting a man who had tried to avoid Whanganui Police.

Cory James Tui was sentenced to four months' imprisonment by Judge Garry Barkle in Whanganui District Court on Tuesday, having been convicted on six charges.

Tui pleaded guilty to resisting police, behaving threateningly, giving false information, driving while suspended and two charges of breaching post-detention conditions.

Police prosecutor Drew Morrison told the court that Tui was driving while suspended and breaching his conditions while operating a motor vehicle on London St on June 14.

"He was stopped by police after trying to avoid detection by pulling into a local service station and pulling out shortly after police left," Morrison said.

"At this time he was suspended from driving, when the defendant stopped he was required to provide details, he provided a false name, a name that he had used previously."

The name Tui used was his brother's and while pulled over, he produced his cellphone to call his father.

"While on the phone the defendant asked his father to tell police they had the wrong person and that he was in fact his brother," Morrison said.

"He then handed his cellphone to the constable who spoke to the defendant's father who advised him it was indeed Cory."

Tui then got into an argument with police, refusing to get into the patrol car and becoming increasingly agitated before being told to put his hands behind his back.

"He resisted by tensing up and putting his hands in front of him, this continued for several minutes until he placed his hand behind his back and locked it over his wrist," Morrison said.

"Once cuffed, he refused to get in the patrol vehicle and had to be placed in the car by attending staff."

As the journey to the police station began, Tui held his leg up threateningly in the air, forcing the driving officer to place his siren on with concerns of being assaulted.

Once at the station, several officers offered assistance and tried to speak with Tui about his aggressive behaviour, which prompted him to challenge one of them to a fight, saying he would smash their head in.

On all charges Tui was sentenced to four months' imprisonment and Judge Barkle also noted that he would be disqualified from driving for two and a half years.