The man was taken to hospital in a serious condition, abdominal injuries.
Stuff has been told they were caused by a stun grenade – which police call a “distraction device” – thrown into his car after he crashed. The Independent Police Conduct Authority is investigating the use of the device. The man faces seven charges: Using a gun against police in Foxton and Feilding, failing to stop for police in both towns, the aggravated robbery of a Mazda in Foxton, unlawfully carrying a cut-down .22 pistol and driving recklessly. He said nothing during his court hearing on Thursday. Defence lawyer Tony Thackery asked for a report looking into the man’s mental health at the time of the alleged offending.
Witness Dave Bayliss told
Stuff the motorcyclist took off “like a rocket” shortly before the crash. In court, defence lawyer William Kronast, appearing on behalf of Zhuang’s lawyer Tony Thackery, said an independent expert was working on a report about the crash. They would need time to meet with police’s expert to work through any disputes or issues. Zhuang will have a judge-alone trial if he maintains his not guilty plea, due to the charge carrying a maximum sentence of three months’ imprisonment – too low for a jury trial. He will next appear in March for an administrative hearing.
Swan, 36, has a long history of poor driving, with convictions for careless driving, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and drink-driving. He was in court on Thursday to be sentenced for drink-driving, sustained loss of traction and three charges of driving while disqualified. The offences took place between May and September, with Swan on bail for all but the first offence. He drove while disqualified on May 31, July 6 and September 26. The September offending also involved him doing a skid down Cuba St, Palmerston North – something a police patrol witnessed – at 3.44am. He was breath tested and returned a reading of 700 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit is 250mcg.
He must serve at least eight years and four months before he can be considered for parole. After a jury trial in November, he was found guilty of 26 charges related to the sexual abuse of his partner and children in the 1990s and 2000s. The offending happened in locations across the North Island, including Horowhenua, Manawatū and King Country. He raped his partner after she came home from a girl s night out, despite her telling him she did not want to have sex. He indecently assaulted one child after climbing through her bedroom window, and abused that child and another while watching movies on a couch.