Man who stole police car, guns and accelerated at officer jailed
A man who stole a police car and guns and sparked a manhunt near Gore last year has been sent to jail for three years and one month.
Hori Gemmell, 24, was sentenced by Judge Bernadette Farnan in the Invercargill District Court yesterday on two charges of unlawful possession of a pistol, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, unlawfully possessing ammunition, two charges of theft for taking police firearms and a reckless driving charge.
During sentencing, the judge said Gemmell had suffered significant grief in his life when a friend died in a car accident, but had ‘‘not behaved particularly well in custody’’.
Gemmell had used the stolen police car as a weapon, Judge Farnan said.
Going back to the police car showed a degree of premeditation and he deliberately drove at a police officer, the judge said.
The court was told that Gemmell had sold one of the Glock pistols for cash.
Defence lawyer Sonia Vidal said Gemmell did make efforts with police to help them recover items.
The judge used the theft of the police car and guns as the lead offending.
Gemmell received a 15 per cent sentence discount for personal factors and a further 12 months for his guilty pleas.
On August 14, 2019, a warrant to arrest Gemmell was issued in the Gore District Court. Later that day, between 11.41pm and 11.54pm, police saw Gemmell driving east on Reaby Rd, Gore.
Police did a U-turn to catch up with Gemmell and also radioed another unit.
The summary of facts said police turned on their sirens as Gemmell turned off Reaby Rd onto Broughton St.
Gemmell took a left onto a Beattie St, which is a cul-de-sac, and reversed at speed ramming the front of the police car.
The court was told that Gemmell had sold one of the Glock pistols for cash.
The force of the impact shunted the patrol car backwards and buckled the bonnet.
Gemmell ran off up a driveway, and police followed him around the property as he crawled through a hole in a gate, back to the street.
He then got into the patrol car and locked the doors.
The police officers smashed the driver’s door window and fired a Taser at Gemmell.
Gemmell then left in the patrol car, narrowly missing a police officer, and drove at speed along Broughton St with full sirens and lights still on. Officers in another car spotted him and gave chase onto Waimea St.
Gemmell stopped on the wrong side of the road. The pursuing car stopped 2 metres to 3m past Gemmell, and he then aggressively accelerated and hit the driver’s side door, the summary of facts said.
The officer driving the second car feared being hit again and accelerated out of the way.
Gemmell then drove eastward on Crewe St, stopping near George St. He unlocked the firearms safe in the car and removed two Glocks, each with 17 rounds of 9-millimetre ammunition before leaving on foot.
He was found on August 16. In his formal interview he told police he took the patrol car because he did not appreciate the way police spoke to him.
Gemmell said that when he ran back to his car to leave the Beattie St scene, his faulty starter motor meant he needed a jump start so he took the police vehicle instead.