Drink-driver who killed teen had six prior convictions
A man who drove drunk during New Zealand’s Covid-19 alert level 4 lockdown, killing a teenager and her unborn baby, has been sent to jail.
Ioakimi Sale, 43, from Northland’s Moerewa, appeared at the Kaikohe District Court yesterday. He was was sentenced to four years, six months jail and disqualified from driving for six years.
On April 19, Sale hit a parked car, killing 18-year-old Nga Roimata Beattie-Rihari, also from Moerewa, and her unborn baby, named Pryncess Diana.
Sale had been drinking for seven hours before the crash, at one stage driving to the shops to replenish his alcohol stocks, the court heard.
About 7pm, he got into his car, reversing down his driveway then accelerating heavily, causing his car to zig-zag down his road, which was empty due to the Covid19 restrictions.
Beattie-Rihari and a friend were sitting in their parked car talking when they saw Sale’s car careening toward them.
The friend managed to get out of the car but Beattie-Rihari could not. Her car struck another parked car and then a power pole, throwing her onto the road where she died of head injuries.
Beattie-Rihari was a hotel worker and was also a mentor at Moerewa Youth Centre. She was described as funny, popular and passionate about helping others.
In November, Sale pleaded guilty to three charges relating to the crash and agreed to take part in restorative justice.
The charges were drinkdriving causing death, failing to stop after an accident, and disobeying a medical officer of health by failing to isolate at home.
He was more than twice the legal drink-drive limit and had six previous convictions for drinkdriving, as well as other driving offences.
The court heard yesterday how Beattie-Rihari’s family were grieving the loss of two lives. Her mother, Sarah Rihari, said she felt ‘‘helpless, empty, broken and sad’’.
‘‘My daughter and granddaughter you took from us that day, just because you chose to get into that vehicle and drive drunk,’’ Rihari said to Sale in her victim impact statement.
Large numbers of Beattie Rihari’s friends and wha¯nau attended the sentencing, with many wearing T-shirts with an image of her on the front.