Driver pleads guilty to manslaughter in city hit and run
The driver charged with the hit-and-run death of Casidhe Maguire has pleaded guilty to her manslaughter by reckless driving.
Jason Tuitama, 24, appeared yesterday in the High Court in Wellington, where he pleaded guilty to four charges.
Tuitama admitted charges of manslaughter by reckless driving on June 18, 2023, reckless driving causing injury to Natasha Tanuvasa, failing to stop after an accident and render assistance to injured people, and driving with an excess breath alcohol level of 993mcg – just short of four times the 250mcg limit.
Maguire, known as Cass, died in hospital on July 5.
Justice Dale La Hood remanded Tuitama on bail for sentencing on May 10. Conditions of his bail include to not drive or drink alcohol.
Maquire left behind a partner and a son, now 2.
Her partner, Luke Harper, previously told The Post he struggled to move through his grief as the court process seemed to drag on.
In the meantime, it felt as though victims’ families were neglected in the legal process.
An outcome wouldn’t add up to Maguire’s life, Harper said, but every step felt “monumental” in an attempt to honour her.
Harper’s “new normal” was starting to take shape but it was far from how he envisioned his life to be.
He described Maguire as selfless, radiant, kind and generous, devoting herself to those around her – most recently, to her son.
Maguire worked for the Ministry of Health, including with Dr Ashley Bloomfield in the Covid-19 response department. She had just started a new job at Environmental Science and Research as a co-ordinator when she was left in a coma on June 18.
The night she was injured, Harper and Maguire had been at her uncle’s wedding at the Wellington Rowing Club.
Maguire would have celebrated her 29th birthday late last year.
The “devastating” event had left Harper “broken” and the entire family experiencing “dark grieving”.
“We had this big dream of having multiple kids and having a family and a nice house ... and that all collapsed.”