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A woman who fatally ran over her mother who was trying to stop her drunk driving has avoided being sent to prison.
Her family have forgiven her for the offending, saying if the victim had survived her injuries she would have also forgiven her the very next day.
Tepaea Awatere,25, appeared in the Wellington High Court this morning for sentencing after pleading guilty to charges of manslaughter, wounding with reckless disregard, failing to stop after a crash, and driving with excess breath alcohol — more than three times the legal limit.
Awatere, a mother of two, was sentenced 11 months’ home detention and disqualification from driving for two years.
Awatere was at a tangi with her family on March 27 this year. Afterwards, she began drinking heavily, becoming intoxicated, so she had to be driven back to her Naenae, Lower Hutt home by her sister, the summary of facts said.
The sisters started fighting, which later turned physical.
About 10.50pm, Awatere, upset about the fight, decided to leave the property in her car.
She only holds a learner’s licence which means she could not legally drive unsupervised or after drinking any alcohol.
Awatere got into the car and started the engine. Her mother, Vanessa Houpapa, got in front of the car and put her hands on the bonnet in an attempt to stop Awatere from driving.
Awatere drove forward, nudging her mother while shouting at her and hitting the steering wheel, then “lurched” the car forward, knocking Houpapa to the ground, the summary of facts stated.
Another person suffered injuries to their foot in the fracas but has been granted permanent name suppression.
Houpapa became trapped under the wheel of Awatere’s car, while others were shouting at Awatere to reverse, before a “physical struggle” ensued with other family members trying to remove the keys from the ignition and telling her that her mother was hurt.
She did not stop, and again lurched forward and began driving, dragging her mother under the car for about eight metres down the road.
Houpapa suffered non-survivable injuries and was pronounced dead at 11.38pm.
Tepaea Awatere received 11 months home detention and a two-year driving ban.
Family forgive daughter, say she ‘already is serving a life sentence’
Reading their victim impact statements, Awatere’s family all expressed forgiveness for the tragedy, and urged the judge to avoid sending her to prison for the killing.
Awatere’s brother, Francis Houpapa, recalled the last time he spoke with his mother, a phone call just hours before the incident.
He said she was tired after the day’s tangi, and was frustrated with some in the family not pulling their weight at the proceedings.
The call ended by Houpapa saying, “Son, I’m getting tired so I am going to go to bed”, before saying she loved him.
He said if he knew it was the last time he would speak to his mother, he would not have ended the call.
Houpapa said there was much aroha between Awatere and her mother, so much so that “Tepaea was like her shadow”.
“If I’m being honest, I can not think of any motive or narrative for her to commit such a horrendous act”, he said.
He said his sister, who he has a great relationship with, is not typically a heavy drinker and is not a violent person, without a criminal history he could recall.
Through tears, he said if his mother had survived, he has no doubt she would have forgiven Awatere the very next day.
“As a whānau, we are still suffering from the loss of my mother, our wounds aren’t even close to healing, please understand that our sister has to carry this burden with her for the rest of her life”, he said while crying.
Louise Houpapa, Awatere’s aunt, said the incident was a “shock and a complete tragedy”.
“I would like the judge to know that it is with aroha that I tautoko our niece Tepaea.”
She said the tragedy had brought the family closer, and no one will know the impact it has had on her niece Tepaea.
Awatere “already is serving a life sentence”, Houpapa said.
Awatere sentenced to home detention, judge says she is also a victim
Justice Karen Grau said Awatere was also a victim of the incident, and said family have expressed strong forgiveness which she noted was unusual to see at such a level in the court.
She said Awatere was “not thinking” when she tried to drive, and was clearly remorseful.
Tepaea Awatere was sentenced in the Wellington High Court for the fatal driving offending.
The pre-sentence report recommended home detention so she could support her own daughter, work on her rehabilitation, and allow whānau to help her manage her grief, Grau said.
It also noted Awatere displayed a “high level of remorse” for the offending.
Grau set out an initial sentence of four years in prison, but offered a 25% discount for pleading guilty, 10% for having no criminal history, and a further 20% for having good prospects of rehabilitation and whānau support.
She reached a sentence of 11 months home detention, with special conditions, meaning she could not drink alcohol, and had a total disqualification from driving for two years.
