A High Court judge says the hypocrisy of a police prosecutor who sold methamphetamine during his lunchbreaks is breathtaking.
Timothy Sarah was working as a police prosecutor at the Auckland District Court when arrested during drug raids in 2011.
The 37-year-old supplied methamphetamine in quantities of up to four grams throughout 2010 and 2011 during his lunchbreak - a total of 21 grams.
Sarah also accessed the police national intelligence system 80 times to gain confidential information.
At the Auckland High Court on Friday, Justice Toogood jailed him for four years, saying his crimes were disgraceful and the community's faith in police has been tarnished.
"There is no doubt that selling illicit drugs during your lunchbreak while carrying the important responsibility of prosecuting others for the same thing is breathtaking in its hypocrisy and cynicism," the judge said.
Defence lawyer Ron Mansfield said his client knows what he did was wrong and has lost everything because of what he did.
Mr Mansfield sought home detention but Justice Toogood began his sentencing by telling Sarah to get used to the idea that that would not be the outcome.
The Department of Corrections will not say whether Sarah will be given special protection or moved to a prison outside of the Auckland region to keep him away from the people he helped send to jail.
