Prospect who seriously injured a patched Black Power member displays devotion to gang

Black Power prospect Anthony Wiremu Newton has the gang's symbols tattooed across his face and body. Photo / NZME

Despite seriously injuring a patched Black Power member while driving high on drugs, prospect Anthony Newton's devotion to the gang is etched across his face.

Newton, who has the letters BP tattooed on his forehead and the gang's clenched fist on both cheeks, appeared before Judge Paul Mabey in the Whanganui District Court on Monday for sentencing on drug and driving charges.

The 31-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to reckless driving causing injury, possession of cannabis for supply, possession of methamphetamine and being in charge of a motor vehicle when his blood contained evidence of drugs.

Multiple motorists called police to report Newton's dangerous driving on November 14, 2021, including an incident in which he narrowly avoided hitting three cars while speeding past vehicles on a 50km/h residential street.

A short time later after turning into Papaiti Rd, Newton lost control of the car and slammed into a tree, launching his victim, a Black Power member, out of the car.

"The victim was ejected from the vehicle through the windscreen and he was located outside the vehicle tangled in the wreckage on the ground."

The gangster suffered a fractured left humerus as well as traumatic tetraplegia and spent at least five months in Christchurch's Burwood Spinal Unit recovering.

Emergency services found Newton, who suffered a broken femur, fractured ribs and an injured spleen, trapped in the driver's seat and had to cut him free from the wreckage.

Police discovered drugs. including 12 small snaplock bags of cannabis, weighing a total of 11 grams, and four containing 1.2 grams of methamphetamine, as well as $840 cash in the car.

Newton had methamphetamine and THC, tetrahydrocannabinol the active ingredient in cannabis, in his system a blood test revealed.

Monday's hearing was the second attempt to sentence Newton for the offending, which happened within months of him being released after spending three years on remand for an unrelated killing before the charge was dropped.

However, justice was again delayed because the waiting list for a space at a residential drug treatment facility was too long and there were no suitable local addresses where Newton could serve home detention.

Defence lawyer Richard Leith said there was light at the end of the tunnel with a relative in Mount Maunganui offering Newton a place to serve a community-based sentence.

Leith said the address would be available in three to four weeks and sought an adjournment so its suitability could be checked.

Judge Mabey granted the request but made it clear Newton would be jailed at his next appearance if a suitable home detention address wasn't found.

"I'm not going to push it off into the New Year for another address to be checked."

Newton was remanded on bail to reappear on December 15 for sentencing.