Car hit 160kmh before boot death
A 14-year-old boy drove a stolen car at speeds up to 160kmh during a police chase before he crashed, killing a friend who was riding in the boot.
The teenager was charged with dangerous driving causing death, three charges of dangerous driving causing injury, and unlawfully taking a car after the incident last year. He did not deny any of the charges.
A Porirua Youth Court judge has now sentenced him to residential supervision for four months.
Under Youth Court rules, media are not allowed to name the youth or his victims.
The teenager lost control of the car on State Highway 1 north of Wellington. Three people were thrown from the vehicle along with the friend who was in the boot.
The group had been at an event in Porirua but were told to leave. They stole a nearby car and, over several hours, police received complaints about their driving in Lower Hutt and Wellington.
They parked up in Wellington, visiting internet cafes before deciding to head back to Porirua. They had met an older man in town, and he was with them.
The teenager who died decided to ride in the boot because there was no room in the car. None of the passengers was wearing a seatbelt.
In the early hours of the morning, police noticed the car speeding in Wellington’s Terrace Tunnel and gave chase.
Judge James Johnston said the chase headed up SH1 towards Tawa, with a speed camera clocking the car at 151kmh. The pursuit continued north of Johnsonville, reaching speeds of between 150kmh and 160kmh.
As they approached the Tawa off-ramp, the youth’s path was blocked by other cars and he clipped the front of one, braking heavily and losing control, the judge said.
The car skidded out of control, hit a bank and became airborne, he said. The three people in the back seat and the youth in the boot were thrown from the vehicle. The youth died of head injuries.
The youth who was driving tried to run away and was caught by a police officer.
He later apologised at a meeting between representatives of the victims’ families.