Gary John Scott (left) and Riki Ronald Edward Lum appear in the High Court at Rotorua on charges over the death of deaf and blind man Paige Johnson. Photos / Kelly Makiha
Gary John Scott (left) and Riki Ronald Edward Lum appear in the High Court at Rotorua on charges over the death of deaf and blind man Paige Johnson. Photos / Kelly Makiha
Two men charged over the alleged hit-and-run death of Rotorua deaf and blind man Paige Johnson have denied a range of charges.
Riki Ronald Edward Lum, from Hamilton, and Gary John Scott, from Rotorua, appeared in the High Court at Rotorua this morning.
Lum, 31, pleaded not guilty tomanslaughter. It is alleged he was the motorcyclist who drove dangerously and hit and killed Johnson on Edmund Rd in Rotorua on June 15.
He also pleaded not guilty to failing to render assistance after the incident, and to driving while disqualified for a third time.
Riki Ronald Edward Lum, 31, appears in the High Court at Rotorua charged with the manslaughter of Paige Johnson. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Johnson, 24, was allegedly struck by a motorcycle as he tried to cross the pedestrian crossing that afternoon. He died in hospital from critical injuries three days later.
The motorcyclist allegedly left the scene, sparking a 10-day search for the rider.
Lum was charged on June 25 with Johnson’s manslaughter and was remanded in custody after appearing in the Hamilton District Court the next day.
Paige Johnson, 24, died after an alleged hit-and-run on June 15.
The man accused of helping Lum avoid arrest can now also be named.
Scott, 55, was also arrested on June 25 and remanded in custody in the Rotorua District Court the following day. He was given interim name suppression, which lapsed today.
He appeared in the High Court at Rotorua via audio-visual link and pleaded not guilty to being an accessory after the fact of manslaughter.
He also denied unrelated charges of possession of a shotgun, cultivating cannabis and receiving various Makita tools valued at $5000.
A charging document said it was alleged that between June 15 and June 25 at Rotorua, Scott actively suppressed evidence against Lum by disposing of the motorbike, to enable him to avoid arrest.
Gary Scott appears in the High Court at Rotorua via audio-visual link relating to the Paige Johnson case. Photo / Kelly Makiha
The maximum penalty for both the manslaughter and accessory after the fact of manslaughter charges is life imprisonment.
Justice Kiri Tahana remanded both men in custody until their next appearances.
She set a trial for both men to take place on March 13, 2028, if it did not get called on the reserve date of May 3, 2027.
A case review hearing will be on September 12 this year.
Lawyer Fraser King, who appeared for Lum, said his client would apply for electronically monitored bail on July 30.
Lum had at least one supporter in court. As the accused left the courtroom, led away by court security officers, he turned and gestured to his supporter.
Six friends or family members of Johnson’s were present in the court’s public gallery, including one wearing a jersey in tribute to the dead man.
A Paige Johnson supporter wore clothing in his honour at the Rotorua courthouse. Photo / Kelly Makiha
The Rotorua Daily Post reported this week that flowers laid in tribute to Johnson at the pedestrian crossing on Edmund Rd were destroyed by fire overnight on Tuesday.
Items handcrafted and gifted to Johnson’s family were also stolen from the site.
Johnson’s sister, Nakita Matthews, told the Rotorua Daily Post at the time that the family were devastated someone would do that to the memorial.
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.
