Driver at large one year on

A year on from the death of Thames man Gerard Armstrong in a motorcycle accident, the man responsible has still not been brought to justice and Armstrong's partner is angry that police have let him slip from their grasp.

"I don't know what to think any more. I've been to hell and back," says Carole Scollay, Armstrong's partner of 14 years.

David Edward Turner, 47, is alleged to have driven his 4WD vehicle into the path of Armstrong's Honda motorcycle on Bush Rd, just south of Thames, on March 16 last year, killing the 38-year-old steel worker instantly.

Initially, Turner's ex-partner Angela Susan Neil claimed responsibility for the crash and was charged but, in October, Turner finally stepped forward and admitted it was him.

Both were then charged with perverting the course of justice. But some time late last year or early this year, Turner disappeared.

He failed to appear in court in relation to charges of a serious assault on a child over the Christmas holiday period and police have since discovered Turner tried to obtain a false passport on December 22.

Police spokesman Andrew McAlley said Turner was known to police and thought to have criminal associates in the Hauraki and Coromandel area. In the criminal world, he is known as "Bear".

McAlley said Turner was believed to be in the North Island, but police "haven't ruled out" the possibility he may have left the country. He is thought to now be thinner than in the photo police have issued, and is clean shaven.

Scollay, 55, sat through hours of court hearings when Neil was charged and says she thought the pair's behaviour was "pathetic".

"They were covering up for each other, trying to bide time," she said.

Scollay is also frustrated at what she sees as the lack of action from police, who she says have not kept her updated on the case or returned her calls.

"They've been pretty slack. I haven't had any information so I just sit and wait and hope. Maybe they've got too many things on their plate or are more interested in other cases."