Mr Ramkissoon had applied for the open Opotiki sergeant role in 2009, he said, and a "series of administrative errors" meant he was mistakenly offered the job despite not holding a required qualification. He said Mr Ramkissoon was provisionally offered the position but the next day the mistake was realised and Mr Ramkissoon told. The error was "unfortunate" but police could not ignore the lack of qualification and had acted promptly.
"He [Mr Ramkissoon] had been under the wrong impression about the job for a single day." Mr Child said Mr Ramkissoon then took stress-related sick leave, during which police kept in reasonable contact with him and developed rehabilitation plans. However, Mr Ramkissoon resisted returning to the front line and extended his sick leave, despite a medical certificate declaring him fit, Mr Child said.
Senior Sergeant Richard Miller, then based at Opotiki, told the court Mr Ramkissoon was the best applicant for the position, until the qualification issue came to light. He said he was not involved with the "Whakatane four" incident, had not spoken to senior police about Mr Ramkissoon's role in it, and it had no bearing on the recruitment process.
The hearing continues on Monday, with police expected to call 11 more witnesses. Chief Judge Graeme Colgan said if the case had not finished by Tuesday, it would be adjourned until November.
