Why a GP threw a brick through a stranger’s car window

Former New Zealander of the Year Dr Lance O'Sullivan, whose son uses a wheelchair, says he regrets damaging the car which was parked in a disabled spot

As the father of a wheelchair-using son, GP Dr Lance O’Sullivan is constantly frustrated by able-bodied people who snaffle disabled parking spots.

But the respected New Zealand health advocate is now the one apologising, after he snapped and put a brick through the window of a car parked in a disabled spot outside a cinema in March.

He explained his actions through a live video broadcast on his Facebook page, after appearing before a court on Wednesday to face a wilful damage charge.

Dr O’Sullivan recounted how he had picked up his youngest son Lance Jr, who was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in 2015, to fulfil a long-held promise to take him to the cinema to see The Call of the Wild.