The driver and sole survivor of a crash that killed five teenage boys has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison for dangerous driving causing death.
Tyreese Stuart Fleming at his sentencing in the Timaru District Court. Photo: Pool / NZ Herald
Tyreese Stuart Fleming, 20, was driving an overloaded car when it smashed into a power pole near Timaru on 7 August 2021, killing five of the vehicle's occupants.
His passengers: Andrew Goodger, 15, Niko Hill, 15, Javarney Drummond, 15, Jack Wallace, 16, and Joseff McCarthy, 16, were killed instantly.
He was sentenced in the Timaru High Court today.
Fleming had been drinking before the crash, was on his restricted licence, driving an overloaded car and speeding.
The judge has also disqualified him from driving for five years.
The judge told the court the victims' families' losses were irreparable and their grief beyond measure.
Police initially charged Fleming with five counts of manslaughter, but he pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of dangerous driving causing death in April.
Fleming's lawyer, Thomas Nation, told the court that his client had asked him to tell families and the community, that he would forever be truly sorry.
He said Fleming described the crash as a tragedy that should never have happened.
Nation said his client had offered to take part in road safety videos in the future.
Family and friends of the five teenagers killed gave emotional victim impact statements in court this morning.
The father of 15-year-old Andrew Goodger was too distraught to complete his statement in court after he described his son as the perfect young lad.
Javarney Drummond's parents and sister: Stephen, Zarlea and Robyn Drummond outside the Timaru High Court. Photo: RNZ / Jean Edwards
Speaking outside the court, Javarney Drummond's father, Stephen Drummond, said the punishment made no difference to him.
He said it did not change the fact Fleming killed five teenagers.
"I don't think a lot of it to be honest with you, he killed five kids... you choose to drink and drive and everything else it wasn't just pure accident," Drummond said.
In his victim impact statement, Drummond said he was going to live a life sentence because of the loss of his son.