Benjamin Hale inquest: Tears as footage of man’s last moments alive played to inquest

Open Justice multimedia journalist, Waikato·NZ Herald·1 Sep, 2026 05:57 AM5 mins to read‌ Hamilton man Benjamin Hale died after fleeing police into the Waikato River in April 2018. Coroner Ian Telford is conducting an inquest into how he died. Images / Google maps, suppliedWhānau of a man who died after fleeing police into the Waikato River fought back tears as audio and Eagle footage played during his inquest. “He’s gone under,” an officer yelled into the police radio, as Benjamin Thomas Hale’s heat source from the Eagle helicopter’s infra-red camera suddenly disappeared shortly