Death-crash driver denied bail

Supporters of the driver charged with causing the death of three people in a weekend car crash sobbed as he was refused bail in New Plymouth District Court yesterday.

Family and friends of Raymond John Hansen, 39, packed the courtroom's public gallery, several hugged Hansen and a woman said "kia kaha" (stay strong) as he was led away.

The Eltham farmhand has been charged with three counts of manslaughter after the deaths of Aaron Hurley, 22, Paul Donald Cowper, 21, and Rochelle Lee Meads, 22, in a head-on crash on an overbridge at Normanby, in south Taranaki, about 1.30am on Sunday. The three friends were all from Hawera.

The van they were in burst into flames after being struck by a car driven by Hansen. Two other people in the van were injured.

The five young people in the van had been returning home from a 21st birthday celebration when the crash happened.

The group had organised a sober driver for the night.

Hansen, a former Taranaki rugby representative, has yet to plead to the charges.

Yesterday, Judge Louis Bidois said in his view it would be an insult to the victims' families to release Hansen on bail.

Hansen's lawyer Barry Henderson made the bail application. He said Hansen disputed the allegation that police had chased his vehicle about half an hour before the crash.

Although Hansen admitted drinking while watching the All Black test on television in Eltham, then driving to Hawera, he did not believe he was chased by police.

"His instructions to me are that no one followed him, otherwise he would have stopped," Mr Henderson said.

The police summary said that after the alleged chase, which was abandoned because of speed, police saw Hansen's car outside the Fat Cow bar in Hawera.

Mr Henderson said Hansen went to the Fat Cow to meet a woman he had texted earlier. The pair danced, but Hansen did not drink any alcohol while at the bar. He later left to return to Eltham.

"Evidence supports the view that the road was wet. Mr Hansen hit the side of the bridge, bounced off and, tragically and regrettably, into the path of the oncoming vehicle."

Mr Henderson said Hansen was traumatised by what had happened and had at times been sobbing uncontrollably.

In his bail application, which was opposed by police, Mr Henderson said Hansen was not a flight risk, would not interfere with witnesses and could live with his mother in Waitara.

Mr Henderson said Hansen's two young children lived with him and he needed time to sort out his affairs.

"He has immense family support."

However, Judge Bidois said the victims' families opposed bail and were distraught about it.

He said police had a relatively strong case. "You accept that you were a driver, you accept that you were drinking earlier and that there was an accident," Judge Bidois said.

"For whatever reason you lost control of the vehicle and three people died."

Police were still waiting for Hansen's blood-alcohol test results.

Hansen was remanded in custody until September 6.

- NZPA