The jury in a high-profile Hāwera manslaughter trial has been shown the first images of Allen Ball being carried by five police officers from a police car into the cell where he would die.
Three of those officers are now charged with his manslaughter - and while the identities of the defendants remain hidden, as officers they were known as part of the best-performing police team in South Taranaki.
"They were the working group I would always feel reassured would do a really good job," said Senior Sergeant Kyle Davie. "They were urgent about their work. They were a very reliable and high-performing group."
Local farmer Allen Ball died in their custody in June 2019. He had been arrested following a family harm incident, and the Crown says if he had received the appropriate attention while in the cells, he would have likely survived what was essentially a drug and alcohol overdose.
But the defence says it's not uncommon for officers to leave an intoxicated detainee to sleep it off.
"There is a risk to waking people; when someone is in the police cells they are there for a reason - a lot can be aggressive and agitated," Snr Sgt Davie said.
Their former colleague asked not just about the officers' actions that night, but their reputations on the force throughout their careers.
One is an officer who won an award for bravery, and another was described as "excellent".
One of the three defendants grew emotional, wiping away their tears as Snr Sgt Davie spoke in detail about how respected and valued this officer was not just among staff, but among the wider South Taranaki community.
"On many occasions people have come to the front counter specifically asking for [redacted] by name, because of the comfort and trust they had in [him]," Snr Sgt Davie said.
The lasting legacy of these officers is now in the hands of the jurors.
