Meth smoked in car just after release by police

Michael Robert Morris Nixon left the Whakatane police station to smoke methamphetamine in his car, the Whanganui District Court heard.

Nixon pleaded guilty to charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of utensils for consuming methamphetamine and theft, offences committed while on holiday in New Zealand.

Sergeant Stephen Butler said, at 6am on December 30 last year, Nixon was released from the Whakatane police station on another matter.

He returned to his vehicle where he smoked methamphetamine before pacing around the car park.

When police approached he became aggressive and had to be sedated by paramedics.

The theft charge related to stealing petrol from Caltex in Wanganui.

Counsel Anna Brosnahan said Nixon was in New Zealand on holiday.

"He has a full-time job, he's flying back to Australia tomorrow, he has a job over there," she said.

The petrol had since been paid for.

Judge Chris Sygrove ordered Nixon to pay a $400 fine for each of the meth charges while he convicted and discharged him on the charge relating to the theft of petrol.