One-time mayoral hopeful Graham Bloxham has failing to stop charge dismissed

Thursday, 16 October 2025

A one-time mayoral hopeful, social media content producer Graham Bloxham has won a court case over an alleged driving incident.

Police alleged he failed to stop for a police car showing flashing lights or sounding a siren on May 2 in central Wellington.

Bloxham, 57, pleaded not guilty and gave evidence at the hearing in Wellington District Court in September.

In a written decision two Justices of the Peace dismissed the charge, after finding inconsistencies in both Bloxham’s and the police evidence.

The police officer said he had been helping with traffic control after an incident near The Terrace tunnel and afterwards drove the wrong way to get to the off ramp for the southbound lane to The Terrace.

He said he saw Bloxham driving towards him with a cellphone in his hand, pointing it at the constable.

The constable said he followed Bloxham’s vehicle off the motorway with flashing lights and siren. Other vehicles pulled over but Bloxham kept driving, did a u-turn in a driveway, and pulled into another driveway where the police car blocked him in.

He said he arrested Bloxham who refused to get out of the vehicle or show his driver’s licence.

Bloxham said he was working in media and had been driving towards an event he wanted to cover. He said his phone was in a holder attached to the car and he hadn’t been holding it. However, he also said he had used the phone to take a photo out the car window and accepted that had been wrong.

In their decision the JPs said Bloxham said he did, and didn’t, see the police car with lights and sirens, noticed some cars pulling over and was shocked when he realised it was him being stopped.

He disagreed with the officer’s description of his movements leading up to stopping on the street congested with traffic, but did agree he didn’t co-operate when he was asked to show his licence.

The decision said the prosecution had to prove Bloxham did not pull over “as soon as practicable“.

Bloxham thought he drove about 10m after he realised he had to stop, and the officer said it was about 300m.

The JPs said Bloxham’s evidence was inconsistent on some points but he didn’t have to prove anything.

The officer’s evidence was also inconsistent on some points that had to be proved beyond reasonable doubt, and did not prove the point from which he estimated Bloxham took 300m to stop.

“In our view, the prosecution failed to produce enough evidence to conclusively prove beyond reasonable doubt that, given the circumstances, Mr Bloxham failed to stop as soon as practicable,” the decision said.

Bloxham announced his candidacy in January, but changed his mind in July about standing for the Wellington mayoralty and a council seat in the Motukairangi/Eastern ward.