By Colin Ambler/cvnznews.com
A Christchurch High Court jury has found 33‑year‑old Hayden Tasker guilty of murdering Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming, the first female police officer in New Zealand ever killed in the line of duty.
Tasker rammed his vehicle into Senior Sergeants Fleming and Adam Ramsay in Nelson’s Buxton Square in the early hours of New Year’s Day 2024. Fleming died at the scene. Ramsay suffered serious injuries but survived.
The jury of seven women and five men retired just after midday on Monday and returned their verdict 3.5 hours later.
Throughout the trial, the Crown argued Tasker used his car as a weapon, deliberately driving at the officers. Prosecutors said his actions were intentional, targeted, and lethal.
The defence painted a very different picture, claiming Tasker was drunk, suicidal, and attempting to kill himself — not the officers. They argued he lacked murderous intent.
The jury rejected that argument.
Justice Cameron Mander spent two hours summing up the case on Monday morning, reminding jurors that the central question — Tasker’s intent — was theirs alone to decide.
He urged them to put emotion aside despite the deeply distressing evidence. Police officers, civilians, and Tasker himself were seen in tears during the trial.
“You may only find Mr Tasker guilty of murder if the Crown has proved the three elements of that charge beyond reasonable doubt,” Justice Mander told them.
They did.
Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming’s death reverberated across the country. She was the first woman in New Zealand policing history to be killed in the line of duty — a milestone no one wanted to reach.
Her family, colleagues, and members of the police community were present in court as the verdict was delivered.
Tasker will be sentenced at a later date.
