Kiri Allan crash: Former Justice Minister pleads guilty on morning of trial

Kiri Allan has pleaded guilty to careless driving and refusing to accompany police on the morning of her trial.

Allan was due to go on trial in the Wellington District Court today for an incident in which she crashed into a parked car while over the legal alcohol limit, then refused to go with police. She ended up being arrested and held for a night in the cells after the incident in July last year.

Allan, who resigned her portfolios and left politics after the incident, had elected a judge-alone trial, earlier telling the Herald she wanted to test an apparent grey area in the law about the right to consult a lawyer.

A photo taken in the aftermath shows her vehicle on an angle, in the middle of the road, with the headlights pointing in the direction of the ute she had collided with.

Allan allegedly refused to accompany police, and was arrested and held in the police cells overnight.

Allan had earlier said she pleaded not guilty to the charge of failing to accompany a police officer to test what she saw as a grey area “based on the legal principle that all New Zealanders are entitled to consult with a lawyer”.

Allan had requested to speak to a lawyer immediately before and after her arrest by police.

The Bill of Rights Act states everyone who is arrested or detained under any enactment must be informed at the time of the arrest of the reason for it, and “shall have the right to consult and instruct a lawyer without delay and to be informed of that right”.

But this morning in court, a registrar confirmed to media Allan had entered a guilty plea on the papers and would not be appearing in court today.

The matter will still be called later this morning, but Allan will not be present.

Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.