Police lay charges in photographer assault case

A 61-year-old will face court next month after experienced Australian motorsport photographer Dirk Klynsmith was allegedly assaulted in a violent incident at the ITM Auckland Super Sprint at Pukekohe.

Alleged offender Ted Jarvis was captured on video attempting to trip Dirk Klynsmith from behind before pushing the Gold Coast-based photographer over onto a concrete-walled grass bank.

As he hit the ground the back of Klynsmith’s head struck his camera gear, knocking him unconscious momentarily before fellow photographers came to his aid.

Police acted after receiving an official complaint from Klynsmith who had suffered from acute headaches in the days following the incident.

“Police have spoken to a 61-year-old man in relation to an alleged assault at the Pukekohe V8’s over the weekend,” the police statement read.

“The man has been summonsed to appear in the Pukekohe District Court on Thursday 1 December, on a charge of assault.

“This matter is now before the courts and we will not be making any further comment.”

Supercars has confirmed to Speedcafe.com that Jarvis and other people who can be identified in the video who were alleged to be with Jarvis will be banned from attending any future Supercars events in an official capacity or otherwise.

Jarvis is in the process of being removed from his post as president of the Auckland Car Club after a meeting with the organisation’s executive committee.

He is also the co-founder and chairman of the Silver Fern Charitable Trust which has a mission statement of: ‘To inspire and empower youth to make positive changes in their lives through educational programmes and activities in automotive and motorsport.’

MotorSport New Zealand previously issued a brief statement saying: “MotorSport New Zealand is well aware of the regrettable situation which took place at the Pukekohe ITM Auckland SuperSprint Supercars’ event on Sunday 6 November 2016.

“We do not condone violence of any kind and deeply regret that this incident reflects negatively on the many thousands of hours of hard work dedicated by motorsport volunteers across New Zealand.

“We wish to extend our apologies to Mr Dirk Klynsmith and trust he is recovering from this incident.

“We will not make further comment on this incident at this time.”