Police officer admits careless driving charge
AUCKLAND: A young police officer will argue she should avoid a conviction after running a red light and crashing into another car, injuring two people.
The 21yearold officer admitted two charges of careless driving causing injury when she appeared for the first time in the Auckland District Court yesterday
Charges were laid against the constable, who has interim name suppression, earlier this month after an incident on Great South Rd in the Auckland suburb of Manurewa on July 21 last year.
Two people, a man and a woman, were injured in the crash, according to court documents viewed by the Herald.
The injured man was another police officer in the patrol car.
The constable’s lawyer, Todd Simmonds, told the court yesterday his client will seek a discharge without conviction.
She is now due to be sentenced in April.
Inspector Jared Pirret, acting District Commander for Counties Manukau, earlier told the Herald the officer was on duty and attending to a priority incident when she crashed.
She drove through a red light at an intersection before crashing into another vehicle, Insp Pirret explained.
The charged officer remains on active duty and noone else was charged over the incident,
Insp Pirret added.
Other Aucklandbased police officers before the courts for alleged driving offences include a 31yearold who was charged last year after an onduty incident.
Andrew Dimitri Gan Zhilong is accused of driving dangerously along Symonds St in October 2018.
Superintendent Karyn Malthus, the Auckland City District Commander, earlier said the incident occurred while Gan Zhilong was undertaking ‘‘urgent driving duties’’.
Supt Malthus, however, would not comment on whether those duties were related to a fleeing driver or another incident.
Zhilong is currently on restricted duties, she said, and is due to appear in court again next month.
Another police officer accused of careless driving last year was granted diversion after a crash in the Auckland suburb of Stonefields.