Breakdown led to ‘suicide by cop’ bid

MORRINSVILLE: A man battling a sudden onset of psychological issues was trying to provoke Morrinsville police officers to shoot him after reversing a $150,000 Kenworth truck into the station.

Daniel De Boer’s personal plight was so unexpected and out of character even the judge, who described the incident as an attempted ‘‘suicide by cop’’, noted the extraordinary nature of his actions when he appeared in the Morrinsville District Court for sentencing yesterday.

A probation report recommended De Boer (54) be sentenced to home detention for his actions on the night of May 5, this year, after he stole the truck from the yard of his former employer, Pyramid Trucking, in Te Aroha about 11.15pm.

He drove it to Morrinsville where he reversed it into the station, causing $12,919.93 worth of damage. The structural integrity of the building is still to be assessed.

He then drove back towards Te Aroha when a police patrol unit came up from behind on State Highway 26. He stopped and reversed the truck towards police, who managed to avoid being hit.

After arriving in town, a patrol was driving towards him when he pulled his truck over on to the wrong side of the road in front of them. Police took evasive action by driving on to the footpath.

Officers made several attempts to stop De Boer by deploying spikes and firing a shot at a tyre.

Somehow he managed to drive the truck, which had several deflated tyres, back to Pyramid Towing’s yard followed shortly after by police.

He jumped out, took off his shirt, and dipped it in the diesel tank before unsuccessfully trying to set it on fire with a cigarette lighter.

Police tried to get him to give himself up but instead De Boer told officers to shoot him. He was tasered and then taken into custody.

De Boer’s lawyer Charles Bean described his client’s actions as ‘‘out of character’’ and provided several references from his employer and workmates who all spoke highly of him.

Judge Robert Spear said De Boer’s actions that night were serious and would ordinarily require a prison sentence.

‘‘Seldom have I been involved in a sentencing case where there is serious offending on face value but all other material is glowing in respect of the offender. ‘‘The restorative justice report revealed how deeply remorseful he was, and explained what he had done . . . he said ‘I think looking back on it the purpose of my actions was to provoke police into shooting me. I don’t know why...’

‘‘And that seems to be the tenor of the message that’s come through this case that you were looking to be shot by police, effectively suicide by cop, I think is the expression.’’

He said all the material before him showed that he was ‘‘suffering from a psychological breakdown at that time which distorted your thinking and saw you act in this way’’.

De Boer was sentenced to six months community detention, with a 7pm to 5am curfew, 18 months’ intensive supervision and disqualified from driving for six months.