KEY POINTS:
A driver whose bus ploughed over five high school students has told his victims he will never drive a bus again.
Jilai Gu, 46, was so traumatised by the accident at Rangitoto College on Auckland's North Shore in June, he had contemplated suicide, his lawyer told Judge Barbara
Morris in North Shore District Court.
He was a gentle, unassuming and intelligent man, his lawyer Edwin Telle said today, shortly before Judge Morris sentenced Gu to 80 hours' community work.
Judge Morris also banned him from driving a car for nine months and a commercial vehicle for two years.
He was ordered to pay $5000 in reparation at a rate of $20 a week for the next five years.
He was appearing for sentence on five charges of careless driving causing injury after he lost control of his Ritchies Coachlines bus on June 27.
The bus ran up a footpath and onto a grassed area where the five students were sitting, ploughing over them and badly hurting all five.
One was so badly hurt she spent more than a week in a coma in intensive care. Doctors and her family feared she could die.
Their horrific injuries were revealed in public for the first time today, after they asked the court to lift a suppression order they had earlier sought preventing publication of their names.
After Gu was sentenced the girls gave an account of their own injuries.
* Hayley Fenton, 15: two collapsed lungs, six broken ribs, broken right collar bone, broken left upper arm, shattered pelvis, heavy bruising across her body, in a drug-induced coma in intensive care for eight days, boosted in hospital on her 15th birthday by a call from All Black Dan Carter;
* Noelle Wong, 14: deep bruising on one leg, concussion;
* Eleanor Koningham, 15: bleeding on the brain, lacerations and bruising;
* Jessica Giljam-Brown, 15: twisted vertebrae, deep lacerations on her head, extensive bruising;
* Jennifer Mackay, 15: dislocated hip, cracked pelvis, mother off work for five weeks caring for her.
Mr Telle told the court it was an extremely tragic case.
He said Gu arrived in New Zealand nearly four years ago. He was a qualified engineer but could not get a job and after working as a labourer did a Work and Income New Zealand driving course.
After the accident he resigned from his job and subsequently found he had liver disease. He was on a sickness benefit and due to see the liver transplant unit this month.
He had tried to find out how the five victims were.
"His concern was not for himself. He prayed they would make a full recovery," Mr Telle told the court.
He faced the victims in a restorative justice hearing, had apologised and had been forgiven.
He vowed never to drive a bus again, had done a defensive driving course and before the hearing today had done 80 hours of community work.
He was extremely remorseful and extremely sorry.
The reparation offer of $20 a week was all he could play on a very limited income.
The five girls said while they were "not exactly best friends" with Gu, he had made a mistake.
"We are slowly recovering but we'll get there," said Jessica Giljam-Brown.
The worst hurt, Hayley Fenton, said like the other four victims, she was disappointed.
"But what can we do about it. We will never move on properly but we will get there and it is not the end of us," she said.
The girls said Gu's remorse was a bit of a let down but they understood he did it and he would always have to live with it.
It had not helped that he had been to restorative justice and was remorseful.
Peter Spring, who acted for all five victims, said a civil claim would be lodged against Ritchies Coachlines, seeking substantial six-figure exemplary damages.
"He was not capable of driving that bus that day.
"It was a new bus he had never driven before. He couldn't even put the key in the lock properly. He had to be shown how to put the key in the ignition," Mr Spring said.
- NZPA
