September 26, 2011

Five cars smashed in driver's 'suicide' run

By David Clarkson at Christchurch Men's Prison

A young driver who wanted to kill himself has admitted ramming backwards onto a police car?s bonnet in a rampage that damaged five vehicles.

Before fixing a sentencing date for Owen John Boath, Christchurch District Court Judge Gary MacAskill read through a psychiatric report prepared while the 20-year-old has been in custody over the last month.

The report said Boath was fit to stand trial on the four charges which he admitted at a court session inside the Christchurch Men?s Prison today.

He pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer using a weapon ? Boath?s car ? reckless driving, failing to stop for a police car using its lights and siren, and driving with excess blood-alcohol.

Judge MacAskill remanded Scottish-born Boath in custody for sentencing at Rangiora on December 20 and called for a pre-sentence report.

Police prosecutor Bronwen Skea said Boath was driving on Riccarton Road at 1.50am on August 20, when his speed caused the car to mount the roundabout at Deans Avenue and slide to a stop against the Hagley Park gates.

A constable was dealing with another driver at the time and saw the crash. He manoeuvred his patrol car behind Boath?s vehicle while it was stopped.

As he walked up to the vehicle, Boath sped off towards Christchurch Hospital. The police chased him with lights and sirens working, until he skidded into a barrier at Hagley Avenue.

?The constable stopped behind the defendant?s vehicle at which stage the defendant put his vehicle into reverse and accelerated heavily towards the patrol vehicle,? Skea told the court.

?The defendant?s vehicle impacted the front of the patrol car with such force that the rear of his vehicle mounted the bonnet of the patrol vehicle and headed towards the windscreen.

?After the defendant?s vehicle slid off the driver?s side of the patrol vehicle he accelerated away on Hagley Avenue, still being pursued by the police.?

He sped through a red light at the Hagley Avenue-Moorhouse Avenue intersection, without braking, at a speed of at least 125kmh, and police then abandoned the pursuit.

Boath burst a tyre on the vehicle in Addington, crashed into a fence on Twigger Street, and was seen by police again on Whiteleigh Avenue. He drove through a red light at Riccarton Road and Straven Road on the wrong side of the road, again without braking. He continued driving with the damaged wheel gouging deep marks in the road surface.

He finally struck a parked vehicle in Innes Road, shunting the parked car into two cars in front of it, extensively damaging them. Boath?s car spun and carried on 100m before crashing into another car.

He was taken to hospital and told police that he wanted to kill himself because he was going to be deported.

A test showed he had 97mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood ? the legal limit is 80mg.