Bashed cop relives attack ordeal

A police officer who was left lying on the roadside covered in blood following an unprovoked attack is finding it hard to sleep as he relives his violent ordeal.
Senior constable Steve McLardy, 59, who has been in the police force for 35 years, has been at home recovering after being attacked early on Sunday.
Mr McLardy was breath testing a suspected drink driver on State Highway 1 near Turangi, about 3.30pm. The driver allegedly failed the test and the officer was punched without warning and knocked unconscious, Inspector Ben Offner, of police northern communications, said yesterday.
Mr McLardy said he had found it hard to sleep due to the many head and facial injuries he suffered in the ordeal.
"I'm very sore," he said. "I woke up at 3am [on Monday] and the brain went on a bender and I just couldn't sleep.
"It kept spitting through my head what had happened and then I started to analyse how it happened, also why did it happen, and what could I have I done, all that type of stuff. It just kept going round and round in my head so I ended up watching telly to try and break out of it.
"I don't know how many times I was hit on the left side of my head but my left ear sticks out quite a bit through the swelling.
"I've got three or four stitches on top of my left eye with the eye-lid open, and I've got two stitches on the inside of my lip and five on the outside."
Mr McLardy told The Daily Post in all the time he had worked in the police force, this was the first time he had been attacked.
"I've had people yell things at me before but this was the first time I've been attacked, the first time someone got the better of me. I guess I'm not getting any younger."
Despite the attack, he hasn't been put off returning to the police force as a traffic officer once he has fully recovered.
"Yes I'll be heading back. Once I get the nod from my doctor I'll be going back to work," he said.
"It's the first time it's happened in 35 years to me, if it started to happen on a regular basis I would be saying time to flag it."
A police spokesperson said while Mr McLardy was out on his own at the time of the attack, there was another officer and patrol car working within the vicinity.
The police spokesperson said there were no plans to change the operating structure of the Turangi Police Station.
"We continue to maintain an active and visible presence in Turangi and we have a proactive policing strategy to support our efforts to reduce the amount of crime and crashes in the area. We will continue to deploy extra resources as and when needed in order to ensure the safety of our staff and the community."
A 23-year-old Auckland man has been charged with aggravated assault in relation to the incident.
He appeared in the Taupo District Court yesterday and has been remanded in custody to appear again on April 20.
JP Doreen Blyth granted the man interim name suppression.
- additional reporting NZPA