There was emotional evidence from a police officer as the trial for the man accused of murdering Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming entered a third day at the High Court in Christchurch.
Hayden Tasker's lawyers argue he had no murderous intent on the morning of New Years Day in 2025, when he drove his white Honda Odyysey at speed towards Fleming and her colleague, Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay, sending them both flying through the air.
Fleming landed around 20 metres from the point of impact and was killed. Ramsay was thrown around eight metres and survived critical injuries.
Constable Jonathan Fris was in a red patrol vehicle in Buxton Square talking to the pair when the incident unfolded.
"Adam was standing beside the wing mirror directly beside the car and then Lyn was a few metres behind him, both of them were standing in the middle of the courtesy crossing" he told the court.
He said they were all completely off guard, having "a bit of banter" and celebrating New Years together.
"While we were talking we just heard this really loud accelerating and in my mind I was thinking 'well that's a vehicle travelling way too fast in the car park' so I sort of turned over my right shoulder and looked up and saw just a set of headlights in a car coming directly at us."
Senior Sergeants Adam Ramsay and Lyn Fleming were on foot patrol just after 2am when a white Honda Odyssey ploughed into them. (Source: 1News)
'There was no time to react'
He explained the car looked like it was kind of coming diagonally across the car park, not down the actual lane of the road.
"There was no time to react or do anything.
"We're all looking at the car coming and they managed to sort of get out half a yell, and not even take sort of half a step before the car struck them," he said.
"There was a flash of white as the car went past my window and just heard a massive bang and then sort of, I looked up I could see just their bodies and like police uniform tumbling through the air."
He was holding back tears as he recalled seeing his colleagues disappear out of sight, before Ramsay "plummeted to the ground over by the other patrol car".
At first Fris thought it was an accident, but he explained the vehicle, being driven by Tasker, didn't try to brake or slow down at all.
"It didn't stop to assist or render aid or anything, it just took off."
He said it seemed like the accused had intentionally altered his course to ensure the officers in his path had no escape.
Fris recalled watching for where the vehicle went, concerned the driver was going to run down more pedestrians, when he suddenly saw the headlights reappear – heading "deliberately" for the back of the nearby patrol car.
"I just saw it get rammed and it got shunted forward a few metres.
"When I've seen that happen my reaction has been to go and pin that vehicle in place so that he couldn't reverse out and continue harming anyone."
He watched as his colleagues pulled Tasker out of the driver seat, apprehending him.
"These actions like the way he steered, the way the car was manoeuvred, was intentionally trying to go for police and cause as much damage and harm and kill the people around."
Prosecutor Mark O'Donoghue pointed out that was for the jury to determine.
'A lot of blood coming from his head'
The Crown's case is that the 33-year-old was angry with police and hit the officers that night, knowing they could die.
The defence said Tasker had intended to start a police chase and kill himself, and no-one else, arguing he's guilty of manslaughter, not murder.
As Fris continued giving evidence he recounted racing to check on Ramsay.
"Adam was on his side and there was a lot of blood coming from his head and down his arm."
After hearing Ramsay was responding to those helping him, he said he started looking for Fleming, finding her "quite a significant distance from where she had been struck".
He described her poor state for the jury in detail, saying she wasn't breathing and CPR was being administered.
Others were also injured in the incident, including a member of the public who was first aid trained so had rushed to Ramsay's aid.
She was with him when the accused rammed the parked patrol car, shunting it into them.
The court today heard how she "felt her arm snap".
Tasker has pleaded guilty to three charges of dangerous driving, which include injuring a constable and civilian when he slammed his van into the stationary police car.
The three week trial continues.
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