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The judge called it a “disastrous decision” costing the lives of two community-minded people.
The offender called it a “pure accident” that wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t upset his dog had just died.
Hemana Morgan-Edmonds has been jailed for three years and nine months for causing thecrash that killed Jan and John Christensen and injured two others in Rotorua on December 18, 2023, then more driving offences committed on bail months later.
Jan and John Christensen died in a crash caused by Hemana Morgan-Edmonds on Te Ngae Rd on December 18, 2023.
Morgan-Edmonds was stoned on cannabis, had no licence, was driving an unroadworthy car ordered off the road two months earlier and was speeding at 132km/h in a 70km/h area on Te Ngae Rd in the seconds leading up to the fatal crash.
He had dangerously overtaken a vehicle and was still speeding when the Christensens left their Hannah Rd home and turned right on to Te Ngae Rd, where they were hit by Morgan-Edmonds’ speeding car.
On July 20 last year – just four months after admitting causing the fatal crash – Morgan-Edmonds offended while on bail. He failed to stop for police and was doing 120km/h on Fenton St, a 50km/h zone.
He appeared in the Rotorua District Court on Thursday and was sentenced by Judge John Bergseng.
Hemana Morgan-Edmonds was sentenced in the Rotorua District Court on Thursday. Photo / Kelly Makiha
The charges included two counts of drugged driving causing death and two counts of drugged driving causing injury relating to the fatal crash. The latter two charges related to two passengers who suffered serious injuries in Morgan-Edmonds’ car.
He was also sentenced for three charges relating to the July offending, including dangerous driving, failing to stop for police and driving while forbidden.
Deaths ‘shatter’ the lives of family
The Christensens’ granddaughter, Gracie, read a victim impact statement to the court, saying her grandparents were everything to her.
“They were my role models, my safe haven, and the ones who provided me with love, guidance and support.”
She said her grandparents were the foundation of their family and it was hard to know that their deaths were the result of someone else’s actions.
“My grandparents did not deserve this.”
Gracie described them as loving, peaceful and contributing community members. She mentioned her grandfather’s 10 years’ of voluntary service to the police, helping support youth offenders, and her grandmother’s role as a teacher helping others.
Flowers at the scene of a crash that killed Jan and John Christensen on Te Ngae Rd near Hannah Rd. Photo / Alex Cairns
She said the family had been living in a “constant state of grief” and every holiday, birthday and milestone was marked with the emptiness of their absence.
The respect and regard they were held in was evident with more than 800 people attending their funeral, she said.
Their deaths had “shattered” the lives of everyone who knew them and some family members were still too traumatised to be present in court.
“They are people who mattered, who lived meaningful lives and loved with all their hearts.”
The granddaughter turned and spoke directly to Morgan-Edmonds when she referred to his reoffending on bail, describing it as showing “utter disrespect” to their family.
The lawyers’ submissions
Crown prosecutor Kris Bucher asked for a starting point of seven-and-a-half years jail, reiterating that Morgan-Edmonds was driving 62km/h over the speed limit when he hit the Christensen’s car and had a “staggering” level of cannabis in his system – six to 11 times higher than the level considered high-risk.
He asked there be no discount for remorse, saying “actions spoke louder than words” given his “almost inexplicable” offending on bail.
Morgan-Edmonds’ lawyer, Matthew Jenkins, asked for a starting point of six years. He said his client was only 22 when the crash happened and sought a sentence that wasn’t “crushing” of someone so young.
He said Morgan-Edmonds had an alcohol and cannabis addiction and he had started smoking cannabis when he was 10 following the death of his older brother.
He said there was a history of unresolved childhood grief and he was grieving the loss of his dog.
“At the time of the crash, he was taking his dog to be cremated at Hamurana.”
What the judge said
Judge Bergseng told a large gathering of the Christensens’ friends and family that no sentence would bring back their loved ones.
He said Morgan-Edmonds told a pre-sentence report writer the crash was a “pure accident” and “if it wasn’t for my dog it wouldn’t have happened”.
“You seem to have completely missed the point with that comment, Mr Morgan-Edmonds. The fact is you shouldn’t have been driving. You had been consuming cannabis. You weren’t meant to be on the road and that vehicle was not meant to be on the road. This was an accident, sadly, that was waiting to happen.”
He noted Morgan-Edmonds had addiction issues and grew up around cannabis use. He had a previous conviction for drink-driving from three years ago where his alcohol level was “relatively” high.
Hemana Morgan-Edmonds was jailed for three years and nine months. Photo / Kelly Makiha
From a starting point of six years and six months, he took off 23 months given factors including the guilty plea, drug dependency and age.
On the charges relating to the fatal crash, Morgan-Edmonds was sentenced to three years and seven months prison and disqualified from driving for four years.
For the offending on bail, he was jailed for a further two months and disqualified from driving for another 12 months.
Judge Bergseng addressed Morgan-Edmonds at the end of the sentencing, telling him driving was a privilege and not a right.
“You are a young man, you have made some disastrous decisions in your young life. Those decisions have resulted in the death of two people and the injuries that I’ve described to two other young people who were friends of yours.”
He told Morgan-Edmonds if he drove again, he must follow the basic rules so he didn’t put anyone else in danger.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
