Connor Boyd death: Woman found guilty of manslaugher seeks to keep name permanently secret

Two 20-year-olds continue to have interim name suppression, despite a High Court jury this week finding them both guilty of manslaughter for the April 2022 death of Connor Boyd. Photo / Dean Purcell

A 20-year-old woman who was found guilty this week alongside her former boyfriend of causing a teen’s death outside an Auckland Central nightclub is seeking to keep her identity secret, citing her youth and the long-term trauma that could be caused by social media “cancel culture”.

Pedestrian Connor Boyd, 18, died in April 2022 after he fell from the side of a Toyota Hilux on Customs St. In the course of the violent tumble, which was filmed by CCTV and repeatedly played for jurors, Boyd was run over by the same vehicle and left on the pavement as it drove away. He suffered an unsurvivable head injury.

The male defendant was behind the wheel of the ute and the female defendant was in the back seat when they allegedly both grabbed Boyd and started to drive off. The female defendant denied having touched Boyd as the car was moving but jurors in the High Court at Auckland seemed to disagree - finding both defendants guilty of manslaughter.

She admitted to having pushed, kicked and slapped Boyd earlier in the night and to having slapped him again through the vehicle’s window moments before he was dragged to his death.

Manslaughter carries a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment, although both sides have acknowledged home detention may be a possible outcome for the female defendant when the two are sentenced in February.

A High Court judge had previously rejected the female defendant’s application for interim name suppression but she appealed the decision last year, and the Court of Appeal allowed her to keep her name secret until the start of her trial three weeks ago.

Justice Ian Gault, who oversaw the trial, allowed suppression to remain in place through the trial but identified the issue as a priority this week after the guilty verdicts were returned.

Her co-defendant has not sought name suppression but his name has been kept secret as well until now because it was argued their relationship at the time of offending meant identifying him would lead to identifying her.

During a hearing this afternoon, Justice Gault indicated he would reserve his decision.

Defence lawyer Julie-Anne Kincade KC argued her client’s youth and “ongoing safety concerns” created extreme hardship. She also noted social media commentary has been vitriolic and frequently referred to her client as a “murderer” even though she was never charged with that offence.

Although considered an adult under the law, research often cited during sentencing hearings notes that brain development continues until the mid-20s, resulting in a continued risk of impulsive behaviour for offenders just entering adulthood. New Zealand law, Kincade argued, has “recognised the desirability of taking a more compassionate approach to young, first-time offenders”.

Kincade said her client’s youth also means “the effects of internet shaming will last for longer”.

“When applying for jobs in the future, prospective employers inevitably will google her name, uncovering these results,” she said. “Future employers will not want the negative association and unwanted attention of employing a teen dragging another teen to his death, as coined by several media outlets.”

Connor Boyd, 18, died in April 2022 after he was run over in Central Auckland. Two people, who were also teens at the time of the incident, have been found guilty of manslaughter.

The defence lawyer also suggested there is a “real risk of vigilante justice” which name suppression would help contain.

Crown prosecutor Jessica Ah Koy argued against continued suppression, noting that the principles of open justice weigh heavily against granting interim suppression prior to a verdict and even more so after a trial has concluded.

“There is genuine public interest in open justice where serious criminal offending has been found proven by a jury, particularly where a young person has lost their life,” she said.

“The more serious the offending, the greater the public scrutiny that can be expected and the less room there is for the exercise of discretion to suppress. [The defendant] was convicted of one of the most serious offences.”

The Herald and Stuff also voiced opposition to name suppression continuing.

Boyd’s family opposes continued name suppression, as does a young woman who was attacked by the female defendant inside a nightclub. Neither defendant - both on bail awaiting sentencing - attended today’s hearing. Boyd’s father, however, sat in the courtroom gallery.

Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.