James visited his father’s Hillsborough home on April 7, 2019, saying a disciplinary meeting scheduled for the following day had been deferred after his lawyer requested CCTV footage leading up to the alleged incident.
“They’d threatened him that he was going to lose his job,” Richard told the Herald.
“When he left 30 minutes before he died, he was absolutely devastated [the disciplinary meeting] had been put off again.”
James set off on his Suzuki GXL1000 motorcycle to meet his girlfriend in Kohimarama about 9.30pm. It was the last time Richard saw his son alive.
At 9.44pm, James’ motorcycle was identified by the police Eagle helicopter exiting the Waterview tunnel in excess of 150km/h.
Police continued to track James’ journey, reporting him “weaving within his lane” on the Northwestern Motorway before exiting towards the port and accelerating at high speed.
He was then spotted travelling on the wrong side of the road up Alten Rd, turning left onto Symonds St, then undertaking slower vehicles in a bus lane “as if they were stationary”.
He crossed the Grafton Bridge and overtook traffic at high speed on Park Rd, running several red lights, continuing to drive dangerously through Newmarket.
The Eagle chopper recorded him turning up Remuera Rd, dropping back to a normal speed and “looking over his shoulder”.
He travelled at speed through Market Rd “possibly because of the patrol vehicles which were following”.
At 9.53pm James was seen driving at high speed down Portland Rd. Moments later he lay dying after failing to take a left-hand curve, mounting the kerb and striking a large tree.
Police investigations estimated James was travelling at an average speed of 160km/h before he crashed.
Coroner Ho’s finding says two police patrol vehicles, one unmarked, had been “shadowing” James and following Eagle directions about his movements.
Neither vehicle activated its lights or sirens until alerted to the crash.
A toxicology report did not detect any alcohol or drugs. A post-mortem found James died from a traumatic laceration of the aorta artery due to “blunt trauma to the chest”.
The coroner ruled the road conditions were dry, James was wearing appropriate protective clothing and his motorcycle was warranted and in new condition.
Coroner Ho said James made a “conscious decision” to travel at excessive speed in the moments leading up to the crash.
“We do not know why that is.
“He may have been rushing to pick up his girlfriend. He may have been using the motorcycle ride as an outlet to clear his head or decompress in response to stressors, including his disciplinary hearing at work. Whatever the reason, it had fatal consequences.”
The Coroner ruled the police presence was a “shadow rather than a pursuit” and therefore had no direct impact on James’ decision to drive at dangerous speeds.
The decision says James’ father strongly believed his son was innocent of the allegations he faced at work and had urged the Coroner to “investigate the merits of the allegations and the way in which they were handled by Air New Zealand”.
However, Coroner Ho said he had no statutory power to conduct such investigations.
“The disciplinary hearing that James was facing at work was likely an issue in his mind as he rode his motorcycle from his father’s home in Hillsborough. There had been developments that day and he had discussed them with his father. However, this represents the limit of what needs to be recorded to make a finding as to the circumstances of the crash, in that it may be a possible explanation for why James was travelling at the speed he did.”
The Coroner said the death was a reminder of the tragic consequences that could result in motorcyclists speeding.
Richard’s house is now filled with photos of his son, along with thousands of pages of documents and files he has collected in the accident’s aftermath.
He said he’d devoted the last three years to gathering evidence about the case.
James used speed as an “adrenalin rush” to counter stress, Richard said.
The 76-year-old business consultant was certain anxiety linked to the employment investigation was connected to the outcome of his son’s final ride.
About 500 people attended James’ funeral, including 80 airline colleagues, Richard said.
They held a vigil at the crash site, leaving his Air New Zealand jacket as a memorial.
Richard said losing his son had taken a huge toll.
“The stress of knowing they tried to slight his character. I’ve had to fight tooth and nail.
“I lost my best mate and I believe I owe it to him.”
Air NZ did not respond to a request for comment.
