A tribute at the crash site as a 34-year-old woman is charged with manslaughter. Photo / Rafaella Melo
A tribute at the crash site as a 34-year-old woman is charged with manslaughter. Photo / Rafaella Melo
A woman has appeared in court charged with manslaughter after a crash that killed 11-year-old Emma-Jane Sylvia Kupa, who was struck while cycling in Flaxmere.
The fatal crash occurred as Emma-Jane cycled with her 15-year-old sister on Chatham Rd, Lochain, about 5.30pm on January 30. Emergency services responded, butEmma-Jane died from her injuries at the scene, which was nearby her home.
A police spokesperson said a 34-year-old woman had now been charged with multiple offences, including manslaughter.
The woman appeared before Judge Gordon Matenga in the Hastings District Court on Tuesday morning via an audio visual link from prison.
A large number of people were in the public gallery. The woman’s interim name suppression was continued until her first High Court appearance, which is due to take place in the High Court at Napier on March 21.
The family was at home, talking with friends, when they received a call that would change their lives.
“At first, we were told it was my older daughter, the 15-year-old. But when we got around the corner, my oldest daughter told us it was Emma-Jane who had passed away,” Davis said.
