Whangārei drink-driver endangered 2-year-old passenger on chaotic ride
A drink-driver took a 2-year-old passenger on a dangerous escapade around suburban Whangārei streets, mounting roundabouts and colliding with obstacles – including a lamppost, the district court was told.
Taonga Kawati, 22, appeared for sentence by Judge Gene Tomlinson in Whangārei District Court having pleaded guilty after a sentence indication last November, to reckless driving, ill-treating a child, threatening language and refusing to give a blood specimen.
The court was told Kawati's escapade started about 4.40pm on July 22, last year, when he was driving his adult cousin and the 2-year-old on Puna Rere Dr, Tikipunga.
The vehicle veered off the road, crossed a ditch of rocks and collided with a lamppost. Unfazed, Kawati carried on driving, mounting two roundabouts on nearby streets and colliding with posts on the inner traffic islands at each.
At one point he drove up onto a curb, before finally stopping to get out of the car.
He grabbed the child out of the car holding the boy roughly around the chest and ignoring his obvious distress while arguing with his cousin.
Kawati continued to manhandle the child throughout the argument then, spotting a stranger closing a gate nearby, launched a tirade of verbal abuse at her. Kawati challenged the woman to "one outs", and threatened to kill her dog.
His cousin now in the driver's seat, Kawati got back in the car holding the boy unrestrained in front of him. Kawati hurled more abuse at the stranger on the street, leaning across his cousin to do so.
The incident was reported and police located Kawati shortly afterwards. Given a preliminary breath test, he returned an alcohol reading above 400mcg but refused any further testing.
As per the earlier indicated sentence, Judge Tomlinson sentenced Kawati to 12 months' imprisonment but converted it to six months' community detention (curfew 8pm–5am daily) and 12 months' supervision.
He ordered Kawati to pay $400 for emotional harm to the woman he threatened.
Kawati was also disqualified from driving for six months and will be subject thereafter to alcohol-interlock and zero-alcohol licence provisions.
A letter will be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle Kawati used warning it would be confiscated if he used it to reoffend.
The judge noted Kawati recently breached bail by having contact with the boy, who he had been forbidden to see since this incident.
It was a long time for Kawati not to have seen the boy, and given the less than nuanced approach, the probation service was required to take in these types of cases, a non-contact order would likely prevail under the sentence of supervision, the judge said.
However, he hoped the probation service could give proper consideration to not excluding contact between the pair.
While Kawati's behaviour was reckless, this was not a case of violence being perpetrated on a child, the judge said.