A leaked private photo has emerged of a young Auckland woman, who received home detention for a drunken hit-and-run death, posing with a glass of wine the day before delivering a tearful apology at her sentencing hearing when a court heard she was now abstinent from alcohol.
Another photo shared to her “close friends” on Instagram shows the woman, Helena Cribb, posing with her ankle bracelet monitor following the hearing where she received eight months' home detention after admitting a driving charge relating to her role in the death of Jason Collins.
She hit Collins while driving home drunk to the North Shore from a Christmas party for an advertising agency last year and did not stop, later telling police she thought she’d gone over a pothole. Collins was understood to be lying on or near the road at the time.
Her lawyer Adam Holland told the Herald the photo with the wine glass shows her drinking wine the day before her sentencing. Her bail conditions did not include a prohibition on drinking.
“Ms Cribb was under immense pressure and facing the prospect of a possible custodial sentence,” Holland said.
“She had a single glass of wine and sent a private message to a small group of friends.”
He said she remains “absolutely devastated” by the events leading up to the death of Collins.
Before the sentencing, she had “truthfully disclosed that she had abstained from alcohol since the night of the incident” when interviewed by Corrections, something she did of her own volition and not required by her bail conditions, Holland said.
The conditions of her home detention sentence prohibit her from consuming alcohol and Holland said his client intends to strictly abide by this.
Cribb, daughter of 15-test All Black Ron Cribb, tearfully expressed her remorse for the death of Collins at her sentencing in the North Shore District Court on Wednesday, telling his family she was “so terribly sorry”.
The former advertising industry staffer had also told probation she had been abstinent from alcohol for some time and had undertaken a rehabilitation course, Judge Paul Murray said at sentencing.
After her sentencing, the Herald was leaked screenshots of Instagram posts by the 23-year-old, via the stories feature where you can post temporary photos viewable only by a list of your nominated close friends.
The photos are private and cannot be viewed beyond the people on the list of close friends selected by the user.
One of the photos, posted to her friends the night before her sentencing, is captioned “catch you on the NZ Herald x” and features her outside with a wine glass containing a pink liquid resembling rosé.
In another post, Cribb poses with an exasperated expression and her leg raised showing the ankle bracelet applied to those serving home detention sentences to monitor their location.
Holland, in his written response on Saturday to Herald inquiries, said the photos were posted privately to a small group of friends and never intended for public consumption.
“The first post with the drink was made the day before the sentencing - the reference to the NZ Herald was an attempt to make light of the continued media reporting of the matter, which Ms Cribb has found to be extremely distressing,” he said.
“The second post with the bracelet was obviously made after the sentencing and simply conveyed that she was now serving her electronically-monitored sentence.
“Ms Cribb is absolutely devastated by the events that led to the death of Mr Collins.”
Cribb received eight months' home detention after pleading guilty to a driving charge relating to running over the 65-year-old Collins on a rural North Shore road. She had been at a work function for Dentsu advertising agency, where she was employed at the time.
Colleagues said she had been intoxicated and aggressive after drinking throughout the afternoon and evening of December 7.
She returned to her car parked in the Auckland CBD via an Uber that had been organised by a colleague on the condition that she was going to sleep in her car, charge her phone and was not going to drive. Instead, she drove home to Lucas Heights, on the outer edge of the North Shore, west of Albany, and more than 20km north of the city.
“The defendant drove along Obrien Rd, Lucas Heights, this is an unlit, two-lane sealed rural road with a posted speed limit of 60km/h, at this time the road was dry and it was dark with no street lighting,” a summary of facts stated.
Her car struck Collins on Obrien Rd.
“The exact position of the victim prior to the collision is not known, scene analysis indicates he was either laying down on the road or laying partially in the road,” the summary states.
At the sentencing, Collins’ widow Gemma told the court of her devastation at the loss of her 65-year-old husband.
“You drove away with indifference, you left the scene and left him to die,” she said.
“You left him there as if it was nothing. Fleeing from a scene, you wish to forget, knowing that you were drunk and doing everything you could to save yourself. Your car suffered extensive damage, and yet you still did not stop and face up to the magnitude of what you’ve done.”
She said Jason was more than just her husband.
“He was a sanctuary for our three sons and a warm and vibrant, kind soul whose laughter filled our lives. You stripped all that away without a second thought.”
Cribb, addressing the court through tears, said: “I stand here today from a place of deep sorrow, remorse and deep regret. No words can express how sorry I am for this tragic event. I am writing this from a heavy heart knowing nothing I can do will make a difference.”
Not a day had passed when she hadn’t thought of Jason Collins and his family, she said.
She said she was not in a place to ask for forgiveness, but hoped that one day the family could find some inner peace.
“I am so terribly sorry.”
Cribb originally faced two charges after the incident: operating a vehicle carelessly, causing death and failing to stop to ascertain whether anyone had been injured.
That first charge was replaced with a new charge when she appeared in court in late June: operating a vehicle carelessly, causing a death while under the influence of drink or a drug, or both, but not so as to commit an offence against section 61 of the Land Transport Act.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment, 12 months’ disqualification of a driver’s licence, and a $10,000 fine.
George Block is an Auckland-based reporter with a focus on police, the courts, prisons and defence. He joined the Herald in 2022 and has previously worked at Stuff in Auckland and the Otago Daily Times in Dunedin.
The woman was shaken by the incident.