Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Sentencing for drink-driver who caused fatal Te Puke crash delayed

Sandra Conchie
By Sandra Conchie
Multimedia Journalist, Bay of Plenty Times·Bay of Plenty Times·
7 Oct, 2019 05:00 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Sentencing for drink-driver Tugu Wilson, 30, whose car crashed into a garage in Te Puke, leaving two of his passengers dead was adjourned in Tauranga District Court today. Photo / Georg Novak

Sentencing for drink-driver Tugu Wilson, 30, whose car crashed into a garage in Te Puke, leaving two of his passengers dead was adjourned in Tauranga District Court today. Photo / Georg Novak

The case of a man who drove after downing three shots and cider, killing two of his passengers, has been adjourned.

Tugu Wilson, 30, lost control of the Kia he was driving on June 30 and it crashed into a two-vehicle garage on residential property in No 1 Rd, Te Puke. The crash killed seasonal kiwifruit workers Barry Tari, 24, and Hamsen Surai, 32, from Vanuatu.

Barry Tari, 24, (left) and Hamsen Surai, 32, were killed in a crash in Te Puke on June 30. Photo/ File
Barry Tari, 24, (left) and Hamsen Surai, 32, were killed in a crash in Te Puke on June 30. Photo/ File

Wilson appeared in Tauranga District Court today .

In August, Wilson admitted to driving with 141 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in his system at the time of the crash. The adult legal limit is 80 milligrams.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Fatal crash on No I Rd Te Puke where a car crashed into a garage in the early hours of June 30. Photo / File
Fatal crash on No I Rd Te Puke where a car crashed into a garage in the early hours of June 30. Photo / File

Both Tari and Surai were dead when emergency services staff arrived, and the front seat passenger sustained minor injuries.

Wilson told police he had drunk three shots and some Scrumpy cider.

His lawyer Drisana Sheely urged Judge John McDonald to adjourn sentencing to allow community probation to allow Sheely to explore possible home detention options.

Wilson's offending was within the home detention range of less than two years' prison, notwithstanding the devastating impact of the crash, Sheely said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Wilson's supporters, seated in the public gallery, had gone to "significant lengths" to come up with possible options but that information was not yet before the court, she said.

Crown prosecutor Oliver Salt said prison was the appropriate outcome but said he could not oppose Sheely's request for sentencing to be adjourned.

The court heard that the two dead men had been drinking with Wilson before the crash.

Judge McDonald granted the adjournment for sentencing to take place on December 11 and further remanded Wilson on bail until that date.

Discover more

Big Lotto winners from Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty

05 Oct 07:17 PM

Slow start to Tauranga cruise ship season

06 Oct 05:00 PM

Cricket: Geyser make competitive debut

05 Oct 09:00 PM

Tauranga boxers claim national titles

06 Oct 06:00 PM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Feet first: Why two men are walking from Auckland to Te Puke

Bay of Plenty Times

New children’s series filmed in Bay of Plenty premieres this weekend

Bay of Plenty Times

Police appeal for witnesses after deadly SH1 crash near Taupō


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Feet first: Why two men are walking from Auckland to Te Puke
Bay of Plenty Times

Feet first: Why two men are walking from Auckland to Te Puke

They aim to raise awareness for mental health and support The Hub's work.

19 Jul 02:23 AM
New children’s series filmed in Bay of Plenty premieres this weekend
Bay of Plenty Times

New children’s series filmed in Bay of Plenty premieres this weekend

19 Jul 12:00 AM
Police appeal for witnesses after deadly SH1 crash near Taupō
Bay of Plenty Times

Police appeal for witnesses after deadly SH1 crash near Taupō

18 Jul 11:25 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP