Three Taranaki police officers at the centre of a manslaughter trial after a death in custody have been found not guilty.
All three accused broke down in t
Photo: Supplied
Allen Ball died at Hāwera police station in the early hours of 1 June, 2019.
The 55-year-old, who had been arrested following a family harm incident, died of an overdose of codeine, tramadol and alcohol.
The three officers can now be named as Sergeant Sandra Shaw, Constable Craig Longworth and Constable Corey Waite.
An Australian-born dairy farmer, who an older sister described a loving family man, Ball had been arrested about 11.30pm on 31 May after police had been called to a family harm incident on Hastings Road.
He was intoxicated and lost consciousness in the police vehicle on the way to Hāwera station. It took six people to carry him to a holding cell just before midnight - a scene caught on CCTV which would be played repeatedly during the trial.