Media Release
10 May 2013

Report confirms fleeing driver to blame

The IPCA report released yesterday into the tragic deaths in Gisborne last year of passengers Peter Bunyan and Holly Gunn, and fleeing driver Dylan Kingi, clearly shows the fleeing driver alone is responsible for such deaths, Police Association President Greg O’Connor said.

“The tragic, simple, fact is Mr Kingi – a repeat drunk driver – crashed because of the selfish choices he made: starting with his decision to get behind the wheel while more than two-and-a-half times the drink drive limit, despite the protestations of his family and friends. The minute he did so, he immediately put all those in his vehicle, and other innocent road users, in danger,” Mr O’Connor said.

“Mr Kingi then chose to speed, and refused to stop for police. Instead he fled at high speed, putting his selfish desire to evade responsibility ahead of the lives of his friends, despite those same friends pleading with him to stop. He continued to speed even after police had lost sight of him and abandoned pursuit. The tragic outcome was due to his choices and actions, and his alone.

“These facts are quite clear from the IPCA report, yet once again media commentary has focussed on minor breaches of policy by the pursuing officer, such as imperfect communications, or excess speed in trying – without success – to catch up with the offender, who was driving even faster. These breaches in no way caused the crash, and focussing on them, when it is clear they had nothing to do with the deaths, unfairly places blame on the officer; an officer who was at all times doing the job the public expected of him.

“Of course police officers should endeavour to comply with all aspects of policy in carrying out their duties, and where mistakes or omissions are identified in the course of investigating an incident, as they were in this case, we should learn from them. However, this learning should not distract us from putting the blame for such incidents where it lies – and that is squarely with the fleeing driver,” Mr O’Connor said.

ENDS

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