Complainant admits lying to police

The Whangarei police officer charged with assaulting a suspected car thief has pleaded not guilty.

A convicted robber who claims he was bashed by a policeman in the back of a patrol car has admitted he lied numerous times during his police interview after his arrest and that claims he was slipping in and out of consciousness during the alleged attack were only raised in court this week.

Police officer Richard Soper, 38, is on trial in Whangarei District Court charged with the assault of Wiremu Henare, now 18, on August 27, last year.

Soper has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Yesterday, Henare was cross examined by Soper's lawyer, Arthur Fairley, and Henare admitted he lied a number of times during a police interview after his arrest as he was trying to minimise his involvement.

He also admitted that a claim he made that Soper punched him so many times in the back of the car that he slipped in and out of consciousness was only made publicly for the first time when he was in the dock on Monday.

Henare said there were many things that he had not told about the assault until now.

Henare - who is serving time in Ngawha Prison for aggravated robbery, burglary, failing to stop for police and dangerous driving - said he did not raise the allegations that Soper punched him in the DVD interview.

On the night of August 27, last year, Henare and an associate went to an elderly woman's home in Maunu and Henare hit the 68-year-old woman several times with her walking stick before stealing her Audi. When police tried to stop him, he took off, reaching speeds of up to 160km/h before the car crashed at One Tree Point.

Henare said he lied in the interview because he wanted to minimise his part in bashing the woman and initially said it was his associate who went in and bashed her.

Mr Fairley put it to Henare that he was a man who would lie for his own convenience and to try to get away with what he had done. Henare would not comment on this.

The lawyer said there was also no sign in the DVD of Henare holding or favouring any parts of his face that he alleges Soper had punched.