Man lied to police to save father’s licence

A Timaru butcher has admitted lying to police, telling them he was behind the wheel of a ute which his 82-year-old father crashed on a rural South Canterbury road after attending a social function earlier this year.

Mark McDonald, 58, and his father, Ian Bruce McDonald, have both been charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice following the crash about 11pm on February 24 which left one passenger seriously injured.

Mark McDonald admitted the charge when he appeared in the Timaru District Court yesterday.

Sergeant Ian Howard, reading from the summary of facts, said the defendant’s father, a farmer, of Maungati, had been at a function where alcohol was consumed with others before the crash occurred.

Howard said there were three people in the Toyota Hilux, which was extensively damaged, when it crashed off Back Line Rd, inland from St Andrews, and hit a tree.

‘‘One of the passengers was taken to hospital with severe neck and back pain.’’

Howard said the defendant was called to the scene, from his home which is about 20 kilometres from the crash site, and asked by his father to say he was driving.

‘‘The father did not want to jeopardise the renewal of his licence,’’ Howard said.

He said the defendant hid the vehicle he had driven to the scene out of sight of police and other emergency services, and provided a statement at the time that he was the driver.

The injured passenger was later found to have fractured two vertebrae.

Howard said because the defendant had ‘‘fabricated evidence’’ his father was not breath-tested.

Judge Dominic Dravitzki convicted Mark McDonald and remanded him on bail for sentencing on June 22.

Ian McDonald is due to be sentenced in the Timaru District Court on Friday for his role.

‘‘The father did not want to jeopardise the renewal of his licence.’’

Police summary