Top cop’s unsafe driving revealed

THE unsafe driving of a senior officer can finally be revealed after police released details under the Official Information Act.

Rotorua area commander Inspector Bruce Horne, who retired on December 31, had refused to comment about the June incident and his bosses at national headquarters had also refused to provide details, saying it was before the courts.

But after an OIA request, police released a summary of facts presented to the Whakatane District Court.

Horne pleaded guilty to impeding another vehicle by moving into its line of passage while overtaking.

The summary describes how a man and his wife and children were travelling home from Whakatane to Kawerau at 3.50pm on June 8 when they approached a two-lane roundabout near The Hub shopping centre on SH30.

They went through the roundabout, sticking to the left lane, and were beginning to merge as the two lanes narrowed to one. It is an 80km/ h zone.

At that point a black Holden Commodore driven by Horne overtook them at speed just as the lanes were merging, passing close to the family’s car.

The complainant was given a fright and was forced to pull left and brake. An oncoming vehicle was seconds away from having to take evasive action.

The summary said the manoeuvre ‘‘had potential to cause a serious crash’’ and was a ‘‘poor example to the public’’.

The summary quoted Horne as saying he passed the other car well before the lanes merged and added Horne had not previously appeared before the court but ‘‘does have previous infringement history’’.

A Whakatane court spokesperson said Horne appeared before a magistrate on December 13, pleaded guilty and was fined $150.