Is it over? Bid made for peace

Five years of fear are finally over for Danny Pryde.

Little did the Dunedin man know that a parking dispute outside his engineering business in June 2012 would kickstart an event that would change several lives forever.

His tormentor, former police constable Jeremy Buis, 39, resigned from his job this week after being suspended from active duty since February 2015, when he was charged with criminal harassment, threatening to do grievous bodily harm and intentional damage. He was found guilty in April.

Pryde, who was subjected to threats, anonymous texts and gay taunts, said that now Buis had resigned from police he wanted to meet with him, shake his hand, look him the eye and ask one question: Is it finished?

Pryde said his tormentor had been playing a game with him and ‘‘that went right to the end where he resigned before he was fired’’.

He said his father died between the end of the judge-alone trial in April and before Buis lost suppression of his occupation in July.

‘‘The many times I had gone to Dad crying, and he talked me through it … he really helped me get through it. In all honesty I was in a dark place because of what was going on.’’

Southern police district commander Superintendent Paul Basham on Wednesday confirmed Buis had resigned ahead of a meeting between the two of them set down for this Friday.

Buis was sentenced to 200 hours of community work and ordered to pay emotional harm reparations of $15,000.

After his trial, he was let out through an alternative court exit to avoid his victim and awaiting media.