‘Absolute hell’: Families confront teenage driver during conviction for crash that killed five people

• Relatives of 5 teens who died in a horror crash near Timaru in August filled the courtroom for the conviction of driver Tyreese Fleming on Wednesday
• The 19-year-old Fleming admitted five charges of dangerous driving that resulted in death in April
• The impact of the crash split the overloaded car in half, killing all passengers instantly
• Fleming had been drinking alcohol before the crash and had been given a restricted license just three days earlier
• Andrew Goodger, 15, was driving in the trunk of the car at the time of the crash

Families and friends of five teens who died in a horror crash near Timaru in August have filled the courtroom to see the driver responsible for the crash convicted.

Tyreese Stuart Fleming was 19 at the time, was driving on a three-day-old restricted license and had been drinking when the car he was driving slammed into a utility pole at 110-115 km/h at the intersection of Meadows and Seadown roads just before 7:30 p.m. on August 7, 2021.

The impact split the car in half, killing all of its passengers — Javarney Drummond, 15, Niko Hill, 15, Andrew Goodger, 15, Jack Wallace, 16, and Joseff McCarthy, 16 — instantly.

Fleming, who had initially received five manslaughter charges, pleaded guilty on April 5 in the Timaru Supreme Court to five charges of dangerous driving resulting in death, carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

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In the Supreme Court in Timaru on Wednesday, Fleming, who has been released on bail at trial since he was first indicted in December 2021, appeared before Judge Osborne for sentencing.

Relatives and friends of the five teens killed in the crash filled the public gallery at the Supreme Court in Timaru ahead of Fleming’s sentencing on Wednesday morning — without a free seat in the courtroom.

Fifteen relatives are expected to appear in court, including six parents, two siblings and three grandparents of the five who lost their lives.

Richard Goodger, Andrew Goodger’s father, overcome with emotion – had to be bailed out of court when his daughter Jorja finished reading his statement.

“It was hell the night my son never came home. I was woken up around 11:50 pm by Andrew’s girlfriend who called and told me Andrew had been killed in a car accident.

“I’ve been living in absolute hell ever since Andrew was murdered,” he said.

Fleming had been drinking alcohol before the crash, with the Crown saying he bought two boxes of Long White, an alcoholic vodka drink, at 6:20 p.m. on the day of the crash and then carried two passengers – Andrew Goodger and Niko Hill.

About fifteen minutes later they were joined by Javarney Drummond, Jack Wallace and Joseff McCarthy.

They spent about 20 minutes consuming the alcohol Fleming bought, and during this time Fleming posted a Snapchat where he “vortexed” at least two bottles of Long White (shaking while the bottle was spinning).

Just after 7 p.m., everyone except Andrew Goodger got into the car. Fleming got out of his car and opened the trunk for Goodger to get in.

Fleming then drove his car to Meadows Rd, just north of Timaru.

“While traveling in the suitcase, Mr. Goodger spoke to a friend on the phone. A person could be heard in the background telling the driver to speed up.”

At the intersection of Seadown and Meadows roads, Fleming did not give up the right of way, reduced his speed and drove at 110-115 km/h, failed to corner and lost control of his vehicle.

“The overloading of the vehicle and the unbalanced weight of having a passenger in the trunk of the vehicle had an impact on Mr Fleming’s ability to drive the vehicle,” the court was told on April 5.

“The vehicle traveled about 60 meters before it collided with a large concrete pole.”

The vehicle split in two on impact and two passengers were thrown from the vehicle. The rear, with three passengers, remained at the point of impact. The front half of the car, with Fleming still in the driver’s seat, traveled another 26 yards over Seadown Rd.

“All passengers were killed instantly.”

Fleming was taken to hospital, and a blood sample taken from him just after 9 p.m. gave a result of 50+2 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.