EX-TAUMARUNUI CONSTABLE FINED ON DRUG CHARGES

A FORMER Central North Island police constable at the centre of High Court
action over the dismissal of drug charges against her last year, has been
convicted of the offences.

Rebecca Lorene Boyce, 26, appeared in Taumarunui District Court recently to
face charges of using cannabis oil on February 2, 1998, and possession of
cannabis on March 18, 1998. During this time she was a constable at
Taumarunui.

She was fined $200 on each charge and ordered to pay $260 court costs.

Each charge was originally dismissed on June 24 by Judge Gregory Ross after
numerous adjournments.

Judge Ross said the constant need for the defendant to re-appear in court
because of delays was causing her undue embarrassment.

"The information is dismissed to record my unhappiness at lack of prompt
attention to matters which should have been attended to much earlier,"
Judge Ross marked the court papers at the time.

However, a judicial review of the decision in the High Court at Hamilton,
prompted by the attorney-general's office, found the judge had erred, and
sent the charges back to the Taumarunui Court.

The ruling stated the judge should have allowed police to speak before
dismissing charges in June.

The charges were delayed in the court system when police were slow to
respond to a request for diversion by Boyce's solicitor, Anil Jaichand.