Bo Wang named as police officer who destroyed own drink-driving evidence

The officer did not want to talk when approached by the Herald at home shortly after he was charged. Photo / Dean Purcell

The name of the Auckland police officer who flushed his own drink-driving evidential blood sample down the toilet can now be revealed.

His lawyer, Todd Simmonds, contacted media outlets on Saturday to confirm his client would not be appealing the judge's decision to lift name suppression.

Under the law he had 20 working days from the September 19 hearing to appeal the decision, a period that expired on Tuesday given the one-off public holiday on September 26 after the death of Queen Elizabeth.

He is Bo Wang, 33, a four-year police veteran who worked in a drink-driving prevention team.

Wang sought ongoing name suppression at a hearing before Judge Maria Pecotic at the Waitākere District Court last month.

He argued he needed time to inform some family and friends of the case, especially his elderly mother who he said would be distressed and devastated by the news.

However, Judge Pecotic said Wang had already been given an indulgence by the court after earlier successful applications for interim suppression.

"The principle of open justice is important," Judge Pecotic said.

Police were neutral on his application for ongoing suppression.

Wang will be sentenced next month.

Shortly after midnight on July 24, the police officer of four years' experience was driving an Audi hatchback on Quay St in the central city, according to a police summary of facts released to media.

He came upon a breath-testing checkpoint where he blew 501 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath, double the legal limit.

He gave an evidential blood sample and was forbidden to drive for 12 hours by a constable.

A friend then drove him home to West Auckland.

Having previously worked with an Impairment Prevention Team based at the Harbour Bridge patrol base on the North Shore, Wang knew exactly where his blood samples would be kept.

He travelled to the station to retrieve and destroy the samples.

On his way, he pulled over and donned a police uniform, the summary of facts said.

At the main gate, his electronic swipe card failed as he no longer required access to the station.

Undeterred, he drove to a colleague's home where he obtained a valid swipe card, eventually gaining access to the station at 4.17am.

He made his way to the area where blood samples were stored and worked out which were his.

He took his samples home in a courier package and poured two vials of blood down the toilet, destroying the evidence against him.

In doing so, he traded an offence carrying a maximum prison term of three months or a $4500 fine for the crimes of burglary and perverting the course of justice, with possible terms of 10 and seven years respectively.

Wang told police he did it because he "felt ashamed for having driven with excess alcohol and he had dishonoured himself", the summary said.

"He had been drinking alcohol and acted without thinking."

He pleaded guilty early in the court process to perverting the course of justice, burglary and driving while forbidden. He faces up to 10 years in prison on the burglary charge and seven for perverting justice.

He has been stood down and an employment process is under way, a police spokesman said.