Daniel Biddle has been sentenced to prison after running over a 14-year-old pedestrian on Railside Avenue in Henderson, West Auckland, and dragging the teenager about 30 metres on the morning of December 14, 2024. Photo / Google
An Auckland man with an already poor driving record had been recently forbidden from getting behind the wheel due to a medical condition when he ran over a 14-year-old pedestrian last year and dragged the boy under his minivan for 30 metres.
Daniel Pouwhare Biddle, 53, then fled the scene as the boy’s family cradled the teen’s unconscious body, not knowing if he would live.
The boy did survive, although authorities also weren’t at first sure he would as the critical condition patient was rushed into life-saving surgery at Auckland’s Starship Hospital.
After months of hard-fought rehabilitation, he continues to have a lasting brain injury and his family is unsure if he’ll ever play sports again, a Waitākere District Court judge was told earlier this year.
Judge Ophir Cassidy ordered Biddle in June to serve 19 months’ imprisonment for driving dangerously causing injury and for failing to stop and ascertain injury. At that point, it was noted, he had already spent six months in custody awaiting the outcome of the case.
“I do accept that you are remorseful, Mr Biddle,” the judge told him. “Of course, that is all after the fact of what happened.
“This young man is ... a precious taonga and he and his family have been deeply impacted by your actions and offending.”
Judge Cassidy’s comments were released to the Herald this week following a request in June for her sentencing notes.
Court documents state Biddle was driving a Honda Odyssey down Railside Avenue in Henderson, West Auckland, around 12.24am on December 14 last year when the incident occurred.
The 14-year-old had spent a Friday night out with his family and was about to get into the rear passenger door of their vehicle, which was parked along the road in the well-lit commercial area. But he was instead knocked to the ground when Biddle veered from his lane and rear-ended the parked car.
The judge acknowledged during Biddle’s sentencing that the defendant’s driving wasn’t fuelled by alcohol, drugs or speeding.
“Your lawyer said it was a momentary lapse, but nevertheless you crashed into the back of that car and the victim was knocked to the ground and lodged under the car,” she said. “You continued to drive, running over him. He was dragged for approximately 30 metres as you drove off and he was left unconscious.”
Just 24 days earlier, Biddle had been forbidden from driving pending a medical review of his suitability to get behind the wheel. Court documents do not state what medical issue he suffered but the judge noted it “could have significantly impaired your driving”.
Biddle continued to drive from the scene of the crash “at speed”, with no attempt to stop or return, court documents state. But his getaway ended about 3km away on Henderson Valley Road, when his car broke down.
He immediately tried to tow the vehicle but was unable to do so due to the damage.
“The vehicle was parked at a public parking area on Henderson Valley Rd, where the defendant started removing parts of the vehicle to conceal that it had been involved in a collision,” court documents state.
When police caught up to him that same morning, he was still trying to remove parts. Biddle initially claimed his friend had been driving before pleading guilty earlier this year.
The boy suffered severe injuries to his internal organs, abrasions and fractures to his ribs and pelvis, court documents state.
In a victim impact statement to the court, his aunt, who is his primary caregiver, recalled staying at the teen’s bedside the entire time he fought for his life in the hospital’s intensive care unit.
The family then moved into a Takapuna rehab facility with him, disrupting their lives further as they drove their children to school on the other side of the city each day.
“She says that he still suffers from his brain injuries, and he still requires rehabilitation sessions and medical visits,” Judge Cassidy noted.
“He has been able to return part-time to school but, in terms of the brain injuries, that will be something that he will have to grapple with for years - possibly for the rest of his life.”
The judge ordered a starting point of 22 months for Biddle’s sentence - six months higher than what was proposed by the defence but lower than the 32 to 36 months proposed by the police prosecutor.
Her decision took into account his previous convictions, including for drink-driving, reckless driving and careless driving.
“I accept some of these are historical but, nevertheless, your track record for driving does not read well, Mr Biddle,” she told the defendant.
The sentence was uplifted by three months due to an unrelated protection order breach before she factored in 25% in total reductions for his guilty pleas and remorse.
The judge did not convert the 19-month end sentence into a non-custodial alternative such as home detention - a consideration for all sentences under two years.
Judge Cassidy had begun the hearing with a Māori proverb, which she then translated into English.
“He mokopuna, he tamariki, he taonga,” she said. “Grandchildren, children are a precious taonga - a gift - and as such they should be afforded special protection in our community and society.”
The judge added: “The reality is he is so very lucky that he survived what happened that day and is still here to tell the story.”
In addition to incarceration, she ordered Biddle to again be disqualified from driving, this time for 12 months and one day.
Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.
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