10 Dec 2009

Dead man's cousin still holds police in high regard

6:01 am on 10 December 2009

The cousin of a man who ran into the path of a truck while being chased by an off-duty police officer says the family still holds the police in high regard.

Constable Clinton Hill was cleared at the High Court in Auckland on Wednesday of the manslaughter of George Harris, who died in October 2004.

He was discharged on a charge of assault and one of perverting the course of justice, for which the Crown is seeking a re-trial.

Mr Harris' cousin, Melanie Joyce, says she had hoped for three guilty verdicts.

But she says support from the Police Commissioner and other officers has restored her family's faith in the police.