Sandra Loveday, 60, of Christchurch, was killed in August 2023 when a car driven by a teen crossed the centre line.
A bullied 14-year-old boy was told to kill himself in a social media group shortly before he took a car and deliberately crashed it, causing an innocent woman’s death.
Ryan William Rex Eastwick survived the crash and was sentenced to two years and eight months imprisonment on Tuesday for the manslaughter of Sandra Loveday.
The 60-year-old legal executive was killed in a collision with a white Toyota Corolla driven by Eastwick, who minutes earlier had called and texted his mother to say goodbye.
Eastwick suffered traumatic brain injuries in the crash, and leg injuries which means he now cannot move around without a wheelchair or walking frame. He requires medication for pain relief.
The tragedy happened on the evening of August 7 last year, when the teen was at home in Christchurch with his mother.
He spent most of the evening in his room and his mother noticed he was down and in a flat mood.
Justice Rachel Dunningham told the High Court in Christchurch on Tuesday that Eastwick was engaged that night in a Snapchat group with about 10 other young people aged 13 to 22.
A 13-year-old in the group had told Eastwick to kill himself several times on previous occasions. That evening the 13-year-old again told him on Snapchat to take his own life.
After his mother gave him a hug goodnight and went to bed, Eastwick took the keys to her car and drove off towards the West Coast Road out of Christchurch, at speeds of between 150km/h and 190km/h.
As he drove, he took photos of the car’s speedometer and sent it to the Snapchat group. He also sent messages saying goodbye.
At about 10.57pm, he called his mother, crying and said goodbye to her. The call lasted 22 seconds.
He also sent four text messages to his mother.
Loveday was driving east on West Coast Rd towards Christchurch, at approximately 100km/h.
At about 11.10pm, Eastwick was driving in the other direction at about 150km/h.
Near West Melton, Eastwick turned the steering wheel and crossed into the opposite lane, then straightened up and collided head-on with Loveday’s car.
Her vehicle was shunted to the right and Eastwick’s was propelled about 500 metres ahead and landed on its roof.
Loveday died at the scene. Eastwick was taken to Christchurch Hospital in a critical condition.
“Sandra was clearly a very special lady, ” Justice Dunningham told the court.
The judge acknowledged Loveday’s family in court - her sister Eileen O’Neill, her former husband Lindsay Loveday and her two sons, Sean and Cameron.
“Eileen, you spoke of the enormity of realising that you will never be able to talk to your sister again and share occasions such as family dinners and holidays together,” the judge said.
“Lindsay, you had the terrible job of calling your two sons, who were both overseas, to break the awful news to them,” she said.
“Cam, you describe her as having so much life left to live and Sean, you said she was someone who always had so ‘much on the go’.
“Both of you miss her terribly and are shattered by the fact she will never be there to see you get married and have children.”
The judge said she had also read a victim impact from Loveday’s new partner, with whom she was shortly to go to live in Tasmania.
He spoke of never having had a connection with someone like her and his “devastation” when he learned she had died.
Loveday also had a close network of friends who “thought the world of her” and towards whom she was loyal and supportive.
Justice Dunningham said that Eastwick had mental health issues and an autism spectrum disorder which was undiagnosed at the time of the crash.
“Your offending was triggered by bullying and particular targeted messages suggesting you kill yourself on that night,” the judge said.
Eastwick was deeply unhappy before the crash, having been bullied at school and shifted between schools several times.
“Some of the features of autism observed in you is that you have challenges in developing peer relationships, and you demonstrate cognitive rigidity.
“That means you see things in black and white and, once you get an idea in your head, you find it difficult to let go.
“It seems that here, you formed a view that your life was worthless and, against the background of significant bullying and the messages encouraging you to commit suicide, you committed to a plan to do so.
“Once you had committed to that plan, you were simply unable to let it go.”
Eastwick has written a letter of apology that acknowledges the pain and loss he has caused and takes full responsibility for it.
Eastwick was too young to have a driving licence and his case was transferred to the High Court due to the seriousness of the charge.
There was no alcohol or drug involvement in the crash and the car had no mechanical issues.
Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of front-line experience as a probation officer.
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