Young victim of a serial offender

Matthew Kennedy lost his mother to a drunk driver. Photo / Doug Sherring

On March 17 Chris Kennedy had to tell his 5-year-old nephew Matthew that his beloved mother had been killed in a car crash.

The little boy was devastated - and still is. And all because of a drink-driver with 17 previous convictions.

Katherine Kennedy tried to swerve as Warren John Jenkins sped towards her on State Highway 10 just south of Kerikeri. But he hit her head on, shunting her car 25m back and into a ditch.

Jenkins, who had been banned from driving, had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit.

Chris Kennedy said the statistics for repeat offenders were "pretty crazy".

"Obviously people aren't learning from their previous convictions are they. There isn't much incentive for them to stop. There can't be if there's that many people reoffending," he said.

"People don't really think about it, the consequences."

Jenkins will be sentenced over Katherine's death next month.

Kennedy said all drink-drivers were selfish, but recidivists were worse.

"I haven't got a problem with people taking risks. If they want to do dangerous activities and they are the ones affected by it, that's fine. But when they take others out with them and they walk away like in our case, it's just selfishness.

"You can't just keep treating them the same. When do you say someone's beyond rehab?"

He said the Government needed to do more to stop recidivist drink-drivers.

"Everyone should be given a chance - we make mistakes and we are all human - but there is a limit. An anaology is like a mad dog. The guy in the pound just doesn't let a mad dog go out in the street hurting and biting people.

"I don't feel like this is an accident, it feels like the justice system had failed to protect our family from this hopeless recidivist.

"It is such a waste and it does seem avoidable," he said.

"Why is drink-driving illegal? Presumably because it is dangerous. So why is the law letting people get away with it?"