Phillip Van Syp is feeling quietly victorious after a Hamilton judge cleared his mother's name over a crash that claimed her life 18 months ago.
The father of three began his own investigations when police said they would not prosecute Marvin Fayman, a Melbourne businessman, over the fatality.
Mr Van Syp's inquiries led to the case being reopened and charges laid against Fayman eight months after the crash.
On Friday, he was found guilty of careless driving causing death.
Pauline Van Syp was killed on State Highway 1 near Te Kauwhata in November 1999.
"The police said it was a frivolous case and they could get charges laid against them if they went ahead with it," Mr Van Syp said.
"I looked at the evidence and decided there was more to it."
He took time off work in Tauranga to ring witnesses, and asked them to tell him as much as they could.
Mrs Van Syp had been returning to Hamilton after picking up her brother from Auckland Airport.
A crash analysis team alleged that she had crossed the centre line into Fayman's northbound lane.
Mr Van Syp said all the witnesses told him the crash happened on the southbound side of the road "so it was hard to believe that wasn't the case."
In sentencing, Judge Russell Callander said the witnesses were more convincing than the technical evidence from the crash analysts.
Inspector Leo Tooman reviewed the work of the police crash team, and said he chose not to prosecute Fayman because he could not be sure of the exact point of impact.
But Mr Van Syp said the police did not listen to what the witnesses had to say. The driver of the car behind his mother's, Kylie Waugh, had phoned them several times to make a statement, and "in the end she sent one in."
He planned to ask the Police Complaints Authority to investigate how the case was handled.
Fayman was fined $3500 and disqualified from driving in New Zealand for one year.
Mr Van Syp said Fayman later apologised, but the fine was pitiful and the driving ban a waste of time because he lived overseas.
- NZPA
Son wins back crash victim's good name
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