Who just watched the article on Closeup about the teen done for dangerous driving?

[Sketchy_Racer]

Failure to stop within half the available distance.

It was a Stright piece of road. The cop pulled out into him.

[c4.]

True story of 17 yr old vs cop.

I was 17 YAY!! I wanted some ginger ale for my bourbon. I was sober. I borrowed my dad’s company car. It was current year model. I went to Dairy on Saturday afternoon. It was pissing down. Bought ginger ale.
I needed to turn right onto Pakuranga hiway(3 lanes both ways then), in the rain and in heavy traffic. After some time of indicating and waiting, a gap appeared.
I turned into center strip, car at front of gap accelerated to close gap.
I braked to stop. Car then slowed behind me and flashed head lights (was torrential rain).
I waved at kind motorist, indicating whole time, then pulled in.
Immediately hit flashing lights, and pulled me over.
I pulled over and got out in rain (always get out and meet).
Got sat in cops car, and fully verbally abused. Swore at, belittled and chastised. Didn’t I see him flash his lights???? Yes I said, in my driving training, drivers flashed lights to say I see you, and I believed you were considerately letting me in.
Cop charged me with inconsiderate use of motor vehicle. Court offense.
Horrors of Horrors, Mum came to court as well (in her own car as I had said NO 100 times). I refused to sit with her, and sat with the bad boys.
She ended up sitting next to the cop and talking to him for ages. As my surname is at the end of the alphabet (that’s how it worked in the 80s),
I was last up.
Towards the end the cop asked my Mum what she was at court for.
When she told him the story (mine, it WAS the truth) he got all guilty for being such an a hole.
When I faced the Judge and charge was read out, I got to tell what had happened, Cop then stood up and said that it may be true that his flashing lights at me caused me to believe that I was ok to pull into traffic (with rider that he had done it to tell me NOT to pull in front of him!)
Judge then gave me full dressing down for driving badly (Fu*k wasn’t there)
And told me that I was very lucky that the officer let the doubt of his actions surface because, and I quote “ I will always believe an officer of the law over you”. No charge. (1 day lost wages for court)
Moral, always take your Mum to court
I Love my Mum

[RT527]

so now it seems we have a precident set here!!!, you can now drive with undue care and attention and get away with it.
I was at an accident where someone pulled in front of a vehicle, and the person who pulled in front of the vehicle is going to be charged.
That must mean that the cop can be charged too, if only the kid could lay charges against the cop.
See hes screwed!!!.

[beyond]

In my experience, when a cop has an accident or causes an accident, you are going to be the lucky bugger at fault if you happen to be anywhere near it.

I'm not going to mention places or names here, but this happened to me about eight years ago and caused me much grief, $3,000 in lawyers costs, $600.00 in fines and nearly a loss of licence, but got convicted on careless use.

On a nice long corner with a view around and up, I overtook a double artic and was a longside it when a plain car (not known at the time) suddenly appeared. The only way he could have been there was to pull out from the side of the road. There was heaps of room. The artic was on the shoulder and my right wheels were just inside the white line, my side. Had my wife and daughter in the car so I wasn't going to be a dick was I?

The car approaching had plenty of room but once past went into the gravel well after we had gone by. My daughter was looking behind and wondered why they went off the road into the gravel as there was no need to have at all.

The guy loses control in the gravel and takes out some road markers.

Turns out he is a cop in a plain car, he drives off the road cos he was doing a u turn to give chase and loses control and I get done for running the bugger off the road.

[kickingzebra]

Been there done that too, as I say, if you are one of either Young, male or black, you are guilty. I got of my careless use charges because I had done a defensive driving course before the court appearance. I had booked it before the accident, but that didn't matter.

[scumdog]

Any comment without dropping yourself in it Scumdog?

No comment, the whole thing was news to me.

Just curious as to why no mention was made of the young guys speed prior to the crash, very often it's the first thing one side or the other brings up in their favour.

[_intense_]

Yes that is true, They probably didnt say that the teen was speeding and drunk. But im sure if he was the police would stamp their feet about it

DONT FORGET: HIGH ON METHAMPHETAMINE ASWELL!

There probably more going on here than what we are presented with.

[MSTRS:Me]

Dont always beleive what you see on tv. NZ media is not governed by an independant authority like overseas, they only have the broadcasting standards authority which is quite biased for the media considering it is them who staff it.

Aha!!! And the PCA is staffed by...?

[emaN]

Do (some) cops lie?!

[madboy]

I saw most of the clip last night. Yep, looks like the cop was a plonker. But then it was on TV, and news reporting and truth are not usually synonymous so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume there is more to the story.

From my experience, I've been involved in a few cases where the cops have lied and I've got nailed. In saying that, in most of those cases I did deserve it. I've also been involved in the odd case where the cops didn't lie, I did, and the judge ruled in my favour on the basis that the officer may have been mistaken in the failing light conditions. And then the odd case where nobody lied. That was the exception rather than the rule.

My personal favourite is when I got charged with dangerous driving because the police car couldn't stop short of me. That was funny. Particularly the lies those two cops told in court over that. And everytime I see Mway Patrol and some poor bugger gets charged with failing to stop short after they've cruised around a corner to discover 3/4 of a car in a barrier in front of them. Yet for some reason the police in my case didn't realise the car in front of them - that they had asked to stop, was indicating to stop, had moved left to stop, and did stop - was actually going to stop! Pleaded down to careless driving, the writing was on the wall in that case.

[Hoon]

The video of this Closeup segment is on the TVNZ website.

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/tvone_minisit...%3fformat=html

[Lou Girardin]

I didn't see it, but I'd like to know if it was dangerous or careless, and whether it was in front of a judge or JP's. If it was JP's - 'nough said. They'd believe a cop if he said day was night.
The defendant always has the right to appeal.

[chanceyy]

I didn't see it, but I'd like to know if it was dangerous or careless, and whether it was in front of a judge or JP's. If it was JP's - 'nough said. They'd believe a cop if he said day was night.
The defendant always has the right to appeal.

Kid was done for dangerous driving .. and I believe that they said a judge ruled on it .. can not remember any convo re JP

[Beemer]

Felt bloody sorry for the kid - with more experience the accident may not have happened but I certainly didn't believe the cop's version of events. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the police chase him for damages too, just to prove a point.

I used to think that everyone who appeared in court, for whatever reason, was guilty and deserved what they got. Until I got charged with going through a red light (it was orange and the guy BEHIND me braked when he saw the cop car and ended up 10ft into the intersection) and decided to defend it. Brought along copies of letters I had written to the police about people running red lights at the Haywards Hill lights but was told I was not allowed to present them as evidence as they "were not relevant" - what? I mistakenly thought they went towards proving I would not run a red light.

The prosecuting sergeant and the cop were running through their 'story' while we were waiting to go into court and the sergeant was a total arsehole. Basically his argument was that I had another think coming if I thought I had better judgement of the facts than a "well respected officer with 25 year's experience". I lost - not only the case but a day's pay - and then the prick of a cop (think his name was O'Sullivan) got a Queen's service medal a few months later!

I spoke to a few cops about it and they all said as soon as they heard it was him "you were stuffed - he even tickets other cops". One cop gave him a lift home one day and went through on an orange light and he was all for ticketing him until the guy said "do you want to fucking walk home?"

Yes, some people are guilty and some people lie, but I think in this instance the guy is looking less guilty by the minute. An independent accident assessor said it couldn't have happened the way the cop said so it makes me wonder if the story would have been the same if the 17 year old had been 37?

[Jantar]

Felt bloody sorry for the kid - with more experience the accident may not have happened but I certainly didn't believe the cop's version of events. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the police chase him for damages too, just to prove a point.

I haven't commented on this case up to now, as the details presented on this thread did not tie up with only incident I know of in the Alexandra area. However my wife did watch the item on the news and assures me it is the local incident. One of our friends was a witness, and he claims that his appearance in court was just a waste of time. The police are determined that the young guy must pay damages and the only way that can happen is if he is found to be the cause of the accident.

There are two sides to every argument, and the the Close Up TV show was very one sided against the police. The cop concerned is one who is known locally as being very tough. I believe he is HP who works mainly on heavy traffic, and he isn't the Central Otago cop who I've commented on previously. Nevertheless there may be an appeal, and more details may come out.