No charges over man’s fatal fall
Charges will not be laid against a community mental health service after one of its patients slipped and fell to his death.
Daryl Kitto, the last surviving member of his family, was with his carers when he fell 40 metres to his death while having his photo taken in April.
The 47-year-old Christchurch man was under the care of community mental health service Emerge Aotearoa when he died at Rakaia Gorge, in Mid Canterbury.
Kitto had an intellectual disability and was unable to live independently. It was understood the woman taking his picture was one of his carers.
A Worksafe spokesman said yesterday no charges would be laid in relation to the death.
The group had already taken one photo when, looking to get another photo from a different angle, Kitto slipped on a grass embankment and fell from the cliff.
Senior Constable Andy Grant said at the time Kitto’s two carers tried unsuccessfully to reach him after he fell.
‘‘They [called out] and couldn’t contact Mr Kitto . . . then they drove down towards the Rakaia Gorge Bridge and walked up the river bed to try and locate him from the bottom end.’’
Firefighters and paramedics had to use rock-climbing equipment to get to Kitto.
Kitto’s sister-in-law Sheryl Kitto-Herd said in an earlier interview she wanted to meet the caregiver.
‘‘My heart goes out to his caregiver, it really does. I would just like to put my arms around her and tell her it’s OK.
‘‘That poor lady, she’s got to live with that for the rest of her life. I feel so sorry for her.’’
Originally from Dunedin, Kitto was moved to Christchurch in his youth to be cared for by a disabilities service, his aunt Noeline Devlin said. His parents split when he was a child, but reunited 35 years later.
His mother, Cheryl, died of cancer in 2008 and his younger brother, Gavin, died of a heart attack in 2003. Following his father’s death, Kitto expressed a desire to leave Christchurch and return to Dunedin, but was unable to do so.
In a statement following Kitto’s death, Emerge Aotearoa chief executive Barbara Disley said the ‘‘tragic’’ accident was under investigation.
‘‘At this stage our focus is on supporting the people who were close to him and the people who were with him at the time.’’
"That poor lady, she's got to live with that for the rest of her life. I feel so sorry for her." Daryl Kitto's sister-in-law Sheryl Kitto-Herd