Policeman still recovering after attack

A QUEENSTOWN policeman is ‘‘recovering well’’ but remains on leave after suffering two large cuts from a knife in a scuffle with an unidentified man on Thompson St on Thursday night.

Sergeant Kate Pirovano, of Queenstown, could not provide an update on the investigation into the incident.

The officer was cut while attempting to grab the man as he climbed a fence. The cuts required eight stitches.

The offender was last seen running down Brunswick St towards the CBD.

A car reached speeds of up to 180kmh when being chased by police through the Kawarau Gorge and Gibbston on State Highway 6 on Saturday night.

The pursuit began near Cromwell about 11pm, but was abandoned by police for safety reasons, Sgt Pirovano said.

She encouraged anyone with information about the driver to contact police. The car could not be identified, but may have been red.

A Tauranga man required hospital treatment after he was allegedly stomped on the head by an Ashburton man during a ‘‘boys’ weekend’’ in the resort. The incident stemmed from a dispute between the pair on Church St about 4am on Saturday.

The Ashburton man has been charged with assault with intent to injure, and will appear in the Queenstown District Court next Monday.

Two men charged with drinkdriving in Queenstown during the weekend recorded high breathalcohol levels.

A 47yearold Queenstown man recorded 1101mcg — more than four times the legal limit — when he was pulled over in a random stop on Robins Rd at 2.15am on Sunday.

A short time earlier, a 38yearold Serbian national who lives in the resort gave a reading of 774mcg when he was stopped in Shotover St.