Javarney Wayne Drummond (15), Niko William Hill (15), Jack “Jacko” Wallace (16), Joseff “Joey” McCarthy (16), Andrew Goodger (15) were destroyed by the Nissan Bluebird they were traveling to. All were killed when they were on a concrete utility pole on August 6th last year.
Only 19-year-old Tyreese Fleming, a driver with a restricted license, survived the smash.
This morning, in Timaru’s High Court, Fleming was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to five crimes of dangerous driving that caused death.
There is a public gallery full of family and friends, and some are wearing tribute T-shirts to the victims.
Judge Osborne spoke in court, stating that it was an “important moment for all involved” and that “everyone respects the process that makes it difficult for everyone” and began the hearing.
This morning, a statement from a mourning family of 16 people about the impact on the tragic and emotional victims was given to the court.
They talked about the devastation and broken heart of losing their young loved ones.
Gooder’s father, Richard Goodger, tragically paid tribute to “the driver made a mistake when he was drinking and got into the car” and “the perfect young man at the height of his life.”
“The night my son never went home was a complete hell,” he told the court.
“When Andrew’s girlfriend called me and told me, I was awakened around 11:50 pm. Andrew died in a car accident.
“Since Andrew was killed, I have lived in an absolute hell hole.”
His mother, Andrea Goodgar, said his son was born with a hole in his heart and had surgery, but was a real fighter.
A street performer, surfer, skateboarder, skier, and enthusiast of magic tricks, she said he is remembered as a kind and affectionate kid who loved the whole family.
“As a mother, losing a young child in that way was devastating,” she said.
“Tyries, you caused the death of five beautiful boys, and I think you should be held accountable for the choices you make.”
His sister Georgia talked about her broken heart, which lost her “best friend”.
“Andrew was the best brother I’ve ever asked for … it will take years to accept that he’s gone,” she said.
“It’s really painful to know that this is due to your stupid, stupid mistake.
“You might think you have the s **** y side of things, but believe me, you aren’t.”
Javany’s father, Stephen Dramondo, said his “life is the worst” and that much of his family’s life is missing “for stupidity and drunk drivers.”
“I’m trying to sentence him to life imprisonment … because I lost my son.”
The last word to Hill’s mother, Carissa Hill, was that he loved her.
When she was told by her eldest son that “my greatest achievement” had died, her “heart shattered into millions and barely hung.”
“This pain I feel is different from any other pain,” she told the court. “Physical pain like bricks piled up on her chest one after another.
“I miss him in every ounce of mine.”
Hill admitted that it was an accident, but said it was an avoidable accident and said it was the reason why Fleming was sentenced to “life imprisonment” at the dock.
Hill’s aunt Jess Hill said her beloved nephew was “stolen from our lives” and taken away from them.
After “playing Russian roulette in six lives,” she talked about Fleming’s actions, which created a spillover effect and destroyed so many lives.
“I never forgive what you did,” she said.
Wallace’s mother, Chantel Roberts, suffers from a terrible vision of her son’s last moment.
“I’m scared of the future without Jack,” she said.
She told Fleming that her hope was to honor the five children he had come out of this better man and lost by “doing good in this world.”
After the crash, Fleming was moderately injured and taken to Timaru Hospital, where he posted a message on social media the next day to let people know he was alive.
He was discharged a week later.
Fleming was initially charged with manslaughter and briefly appeared in the Timaru District Court on December 8, last year.
In April, he was convicted through lawyer Thomas Nation to reduce allegations of dangerous driving that could lead to death.
Stephen Dramondo, whose 15-year-old son Javany died in a crash after his last appearance, talked about his loss.
Life was hard, he said, living “every day.”
Since the crash, he has suffered the loss of his beloved son.
“I’m not going to bring my son back,” Dramondo said.
And he has a hard time feeling a lot of sympathy for the driver.
“At the end of the day, if you drink alcohol, ignite a key and drive, why should you feel sorry for him when someone kills your child? Two sides of it? It’s a shame it’s in my situation. “
Fleming obtained his restricted driver’s license on August 4, last year, the court heard today.
At around 6:20 pm on August 7, Fleming got two boxes of alcohol vodka-based drinks and drove to a local skatepark in Caroline Bay.
Gooder and Hill were with him, and shortly afterwards Drammond, Wallace and McCarthy joined the park.
From 6:40 pm to 6:08 pm, they spent time drinking with Fleming. Fleming posted a video “swirling” at least two bottles on Snapchat to skull the contents.
From 6:08 pm to 7:02 pm, Fleming got in and out of the car several times and opened and closed his boots.
At 7:02 pm, everyone got into the car except Goodgar, who was standing behind him.
Fleming came out, the court heard, opened the boots, and Goodgar entered.
They ran away, with Fleming violating his restricted license.
During the boot, Goodgar called a friend and heard a voice telling Fleming to speed up during the call.
At the crossroads of Sea Download, Fleming couldn’t approach carefully and didn’t even try to stop, McRae said.
He failed to slow down and took a corner between 110 and 115km / h.
Fleming lost control and headed to the brink of grass.
The overload of the car and the imbalance in the weight of the passengers in the boots affected his ability to control the car, and he hit a large concrete utility pole at 107-115 km / h.
In the collision, the car was split in two and Wallace and Hill were thrown out of the car.
The court heard that all passengers were killed immediately.
Fleming was taken to the hospital and a blood sample was taken 1 hour and 43 minutes after the crash.
The sample returned a result of 50 ± 2 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.
The next day, the defendant posted on social media from Timaru Hospital. I’m sorry to my family, but I felt the pain of the stupid mistake I made and killed five people. “
The crash, one of the worst seen on South Island roads in decades, has devastated the Timaloo community.
“Police want to thank the young man’s family,” said David Gaskin, regional commander of Aoraki, after being charged.
“The loss of a loved one who died in such a terrible situation made them a very difficult time.
“Timaru is a small community and many are affected by this tragedy.”