Court hears police shooting at Dunedin suspect was not justified
A preliminary finding from the Independent Police Conduct Authority suggests officers did not need to fire during a February manhunt that ended with an eight month prison sentence.
By Tomas Rahman ·
Tony Robert Ramsay, 46, appeared in the Dunedin District Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including unlawfully using a vehicle and dangerous driving. His lawyer, Dave Simpson, told the court that the Independent Police Conduct Authority had issued a preliminary finding stating the police shooting during the February 25 manhunt was not justified.
The pursuit began at the Sunnyvale Sports Centre in Green Island, where a stolen Subaru Forester was parked on a grass verge. Three police cars attempted to block the exit, but Ramsay drove into one officer's vehicle before fleeing. An hour later, he stopped at a Caltex petrol station on Great King Street, where he took $122 worth of fuel. Police records indicate he also stopped at a Z station in Kaikorai Valley, where three plain-clothed officers with firearms attempted to gain access to his car.
Supt Jason Guthrie, the Southern district commander, stated that police fired one pistol shot when Ramsay drove toward a patrol car and officers. No other shots were fired, and no one was injured. The incident at the Z station was not included in the police summary of facts because it did not relate to the specific offences Ramsay faced. Officers later located Ramsay on Three Mile Hill Road, deployed road spikes, and he abandoned the car in a grass field on Dalziel Road.
Ramsay fled on foot until a police dog tracked him down. He held the dog's head underwater before being tasered and arrested. Simpson argued that Ramsay, who had a history of drug use, was not aggressive toward officers. The lawyer noted that Ramsay is experiencing night terrors and PTSD, and that he required surgery after being mauled by the police dog during the arrest.
Simpson described the charges as low-level dishonesty and driving offences, noting that Ramsay wanted to engage in counselling upon release. Judge Kerryn Beaton KC acknowledged Ramsay's lengthy criminal history, including a prison sentence for similar driving offences last year. She noted his desire to stop offending and his strong family support.
Beaton sentenced Ramsay to eight months in prison. She decided not to disqualify him from driving, a move she described as rather unorthodox, since he was already disqualified until 2028. The judge also declined a request from the Otago Daily Times to photograph the defendant during the sentencing hearing.
