Drunk driver illegally accessed criminal database while using officer’s phone at North Shore Policing Centre

Michael Mackey was caught reading the National Intelligence Application while using a police officer's phone. Photo / Stock

A drunk driver who had been taken into a police station asked if he could use an officer’s phone to call a lawyer.

Alone in an interview room, Michael Mackey made the call but then he used the officer’s phone to access his own long rap sheet on the police database.

The officer then returned to the room and caught him in the act.

Last week, Mackey, 35, was in Pukekohe District Court for sentencing on charges of aggravated drink driving and accessing a computer system without authorisation.

He was also sentenced for smashing a glass whisky bottle over the head of a family member, leaving a bloody gash.

According to the police summary of facts, on the evening of July 16, 2025, Mackey was driving a ute in a carpark in Albany when he was stopped by police.

He appeared intoxicated and a breath test gave a result of 600 micrograms per litre of breath. The legal limit is 250mcg.

While undergoing further testing at the North Shore Policing Centre, Mackey was given an officer’s phone to contact his lawyer.

After the call, an unattended Mackey scrolled through the phone, coming across his police profile on the National Intelligence Application (NIA).

The secure database is used by the New Zealand Police, storing records, social media data and more than seven million identities or profiles.

Mackey was perusing his profile when the officer returned to the room and took back his phone.

The officer said he believed he had locked the app before handing the phone to Mackey.

Two months later, the defendant was drinking with a family member at her address.

He started to act threateningly towards her, and when she told him to stop, he slapped her across the face.

“F*** you, stupid b****,” he said to her.

According to a summary of facts, the victim called the police, but Mackey snatched her phone out of her hand and, while she was trying to get it back, he hit her over the head with a whisky bottle.

As she tried to get away, he hit her again in the same spot, resulting in a large gash on her head that bled heavily.

She was taken to hospital for treatment.

Michael Mackey hit his relation twice with a glass whisky bottle

In court, senior police prosecutor Paul Watkins said there was no evidence that Mackey had opened the NIA system himself, and that it was probably already open on the officer’s phone.

He said the unusual breach was “not the issue”, at sentencing, pointing instead to the “nasty” assault and Mackey’s history of violence and incarceration.

The assault victim was in the public gallery, and the attack had affected her significantly, Watkins said.

The judge agreed that breaking into the database was “very minor in the scheme of things”.

Mackey’s defence lawyer, Chris Mantell, said alcohol was a major issue for his client and since being on bail, he had attended more than 30 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

He wanted Mackey to avoid prison so he could continue to rehabilitate.

However, Judge Gerard Winter was underwhelmed by the defendant’s efforts, saying in the months since the offending, Mackey could have organised a structured rehab facility to further address his addiction.

From the dock, Mackey told the judge that during his other previous jail sentences, he was never provided counselling or any other way to work on his addiction.

He planned on staying sober and would find a rehab centre if necessary.

He said his drinking was “definitely the cause” of his violent offending.

“It doesn’t excuse it, though Mr Mackey, that’s the problem,” Judge Winter said.

“Violence, particularly bottling a relative, is just unacceptable in society.”

The judge outlined that, starting with youth offending, Mackey had a long history of violence that had become entrenched.

This included convictions of an assault in 2008, robbery in 2009, assault with a weapon in 2014, and three assaults in a family violence context in 2019.

This was also at least his third drink-driving offence.

Home detention without a full-time drug and alcohol programme would not be a rehabilitative enough sentence, the judge said.

For assaulting with intent to injure, drink driving and breaching the database, Mackey was sentenced to 12 months in prison and disqualified from driving for the same period.

However, the judge gave him leave to apply to convert the sentence to one of home detention, provided it was to a rehab centre.

Ella Scott-Fleming has been a journalist for three years and previously worked at the Otago Daily Times, Gore Ensign and Metro Magazine. She has an interest in court and general reporting. She’s currently based in Auckland covering justice related stories.