A POLICE officer who fatally chased a motorcyclist at high-speed through a busy shopping precinct has been accused of lying to a coronial inquest into the death.
The inquest, into the 2005 death of Adam Keneth McNamara, today heard Senior Constable Timothy Hughes claim he had not seen the fatal motorcycle crash.
Transcripts that were read to the court of an interview during a commissioner's inquiry, however, indicate that he did.
In the transcripts Hughes describes the back tyre of the motorcycle hitting the median strip on Elizabeth Way, near the Elizabeth Shopping Centre and sending McNamara spinning off his bike.
Deputy State Coroner Anthony Schapel questioned how Hughes could have described the accident so accurately but now tell him that he did not see it.
"Isn't that (the description he gave) a lot to presume from the observation of a stationary human being and a motorbike?" Mr Schapel said.
"The previous interviews show that you have seen it (the accident)."
"Are you trying to hide the fact that you were close enough behind the motorcycle to see the crash?"
Hughes, 36, who now lives in Western Australia, today said he had terminated the chase moments before the crash.
In a legal first, Hughes was found guilty of dangerous driving in October last year over the chase.
He was given a six-month licence disqualification and $300 fine.
Hughes, told the inquest his decision to chase unlicensed motorcyclist Mr McNamara at 80km/h on the wrong side of the road through a built up area with "plenty"of pedestrians was not unreasonable.
He said the chase was terminated 27 seconds after it started because he realised McNamara was not going to pull over.
The inquest is continuing.
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25909577-5006301,00.html
Why am I not surprised
