Mum of crash victim: 'I feel like I have failed him'

Bailey Honeycombe, 19, of Murupara, was killed after the truck he was a passenger in collided with a logging truck on November 27, 2015. Photo/Facebook

"I feel like I have failed him as a mother because I was not there to protect him."

That's how Julie Honeycombe described the way she felt after her only son, Bailey Honeycombe, 19, of Murupara, was killed when the truck he was a passenger in collided with the back of a logging truck.

Kerry Charles Power, the driver of the truck in which Mr Honeycombe was a passenger, was yesterday sentenced in the Tauranga District Court to 200 hours' community work after earlier pleading guilty to a charge of careless driving causing death.

Power had also admitted a raft of breaches of the Land Transport Act including exceeding the permitted hours of work for a heavy motor vehicle driver and making a false statement in a log book.

Judge Thomas Ingram also disqualified Power from holding a driver's licence for 12 months and from driving classes 2, 3, 4 and 5 for one month.

Bailey Honeycombe. Photo / Supplied

He was also ordered to pay $10,000 in reparation to Mr Honeycombe's family within 28 days.

Power was driving the beekeeping truck when the crash happened about 4am on November 27, 2015, near Kawerau.

Tears ran down the face of an officer in charge who read a victim impact statement to the court on behalf of Mrs Honeycombe and her husband, Glenn.

"Bailey had been taken away from us in such a horrific way," said Mrs Honeycombe. "It was gut-wrenching and heartbreaking for any parent."

Mrs Honeycombe said there would never be any closure for the family.

"I, Bailey's mum, truly do not know who I am any more ... I feel like I have failed him as a mother because I was not there to protect him."

It was 56 hours after the crash before the family was allowed to see Mr Honeycombe.

"Our Bailey's beautiful, handsome face with that million-dollar smile had been destroyed," said Mrs Honeycombe.

"We could see and feel Bailey was so broken," she said.

The grieving mother said they would never get to see their son fulfill ambitions including getting married, celebrating his 21st birthday or having a baby.

"He would have made a great father," she said. "Our lives will never be the same again. We will grieve and cry for our son for the rest of our lives."

She could not remember the last time the family had slept properly.

She said the punishment Power received was not the same as the life punishment they would serve for losing their son.

"You will get to carry on with your life and celebrate the milestones that our Bailey could not."

Mr Honeycombe's sister, Kieran Maki, 25, told the court her little brother's dreams, hopes and expectations would never be fulfilled.

"Bailey was truly one of a kind. He had an indescribable passion for life. From a young age, Bailey had a love for everything outside."

She described his love for hunting and gathering and sporting activities, as well as volunteering as a firefighter.

"The cheeky, cheerful, mischievous one of the family, he would always have the family in fits of laughter. He had the biggest heart."

Miss Maki said she and her brother were very close. "He always strived to protect me."

She too lost confidence after her brother died and suffered anxiety. "The thought of a decent night's sleep is now a thing of the past."

"I mourn the loss of my brother, my best friend, and my protector," she said.

Judge Thomas Ingram offered his condolences to the family and reminded the courtroom this case was not taken lightly.

Judge Ingram gave Power credit for his early plea, for showing remorse and agreeing to attend a restorative justice meeting despite the Honeycombe family declining to be present.

Judge Ingram also took into consideration the weather conditions on the night of the crash.

"It was dark and there was some fog and it was possibly dusty. It was a night shift and as you drove down the road you saw a truck ahead of you," he told Power.

He said police examination revealed there was no fault in the vehicle.

"There was no contributing factor in relation to the road. The sole cause of the accident was your failure to properly assess the distance of your closing speed.

"Clearly this is an appalling tragedy for everyone. You will carry this with you for the rest of your lives and there will not be a lot of nights where you get a good sleep."

Outside court, Mrs Honeycombe said she was happy with the sentence.

She said her son and Power went to school together and were friends.

"We never wanted him to go to prison, so community work is good. With the disqualified driving, I just hope he takes some defensive driving courses."