Grieving family ’embraces’ driver after boy’s death
A driver who killed a two-year-old boy when his van jerked backwards unexpectedly as he started it has been “embraced” by the child’s grieving family, the Christchurch District Court was told.
The boy’s mother, Minetta Oxley, remains friends with the driver, Johnny Tupa’i Tihema, 31, who today pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving causing death.
Tihema is now expected to meet the family at a restorative justice conference ahead of the sentencing, which Judge Peter Rollo set for January 16. Tihema was remanded at large, without bail being required.
Defence counsel Glenn Dixon said it was “a terribly sad case” and the judge agreed.
Mr Dixon said: “Remarkably Miss Oxley continues to be very close friends with Mr Tihema and her family has really embraced him right through the grieving process and made him part of that grieving family.
“I think a restorative justice conference is required, notwithstanding that there has been remarkable forgiveness already shown by Miss Oxley.”
The accident in Pages Road, Aranui, late on the afternoon of June 17, caused the death of Isaiah James Oxley-Pirini, who was described by his family as a treasured and cherished boy.
Mr Dixon said after the court appearance that Tihema and Miss Oxley had met at a local Christian café, and went to the same church. They met on the afternoon of the accident outside Cowles Stadium, for training.
Tihema is a personal trainer. When it became cooler, they decided to go to a mall to talk about the training programme, and that was when the accident happened.
When Tihema arrived, he had backed his van into a parking place but left it in reverse and only partially applied the handbrake, police said.
As they were leaving, Tihema stood beside the driver’s door and reached in to start the engine to warm it up.
As he did so, Isaiah, who had said he wanted to travel with him in the van, was running around the back of the vehicle. When the engine started, the van moved backwards, crushing Isaiah between the van and a wooden post.
He could not be freed until Tihema got into the van and moved it forward. Isaiah died at the scene.
Interviewed by the police, Tihema said he had not realised that the van was in reverse. Normally he would have left it in neutral.
He said that the handbrake was on, and when he hard the screams he pulled it up harder and turned the key off.
When sentencing takes place in January, the court will receive a report on the restorative justice meeting if it is held, and victim impact statements from the child’s parents.
Category: News
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