Family of Jason Collins pay heartfelt tribute to ‘beloved’ husband and father killed by hit-and-run driver, Helena Cribb

The widow of a North Shore man who was killed by a hit-and-run drink-driver - a 22-year-old advertising industry worker and daughter of a former All Black - says her husband’s death and the way he was cruelly dismissed as if he were nothing more than a ‘pothole’ has “devastated our family beyond words”.

Gemma Collins told the Herald today that she and her family were finally pleased - “after nearly 10 months of agony” - that Helena Cribb had pleaded guilty to charges in relation to her husband Jason’s death last December.

She said Jason, 65, was a beloved husband and father.

Jason Collins has been remembered by his family as a 'beloved' husband and father.

Cribb, the daughter of former All Black Ron Cribb, was convicted in the North Shore District Court yesterday on two charges - operating a vehicle carelessly, causing a death while under the influence of drink or a drug, or both; and failing to stop to ascertain whether anyone had been injured.

The careless driving charge carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment, 12 months’ disqualification of a driver’s licence, and a $10,000 fine. She will be sentenced in December.

Today, Gemma Collins told the Herald: “After nearly 10 months of agony, we are relieved to see a guilty plea.

“However, nothing can erase the pain of losing Jason, our beloved husband and father, especially when his life was cruelly dismissed as if he were nothing more than a ‘pothole.’

“This has devastated our family beyond words.”

According to the police summary of facts, Cribb - who was working at the Dentsu advertising agency - had been at her work Christmas party on the afternoon and evening of Thursday, December 7 last year.

She had started drinking at a colleague’s house at 1.30pm, before official festivities started about 3pm, with transportation to a licensed premises.

She was drinking alcohol through the afternoon and evening.

Helena Cribb (right) outside the North Shore District Court. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

She went to a second licensed premises later in the evening, understood to be after people had been dropped back in the city.

“Her work colleagues and one of the licensed premises managers described her as ‘drunk’, ‘very highly intoxicated’, ‘slurring her words’ and ‘aggressive’ over the course of that evening,” says the police summary of facts.

She returned to her car, which was parked in the Auckland CBD, via an Uber that had been organised by a colleague “on the condition that she was going to sleep in her car, charge her phone and was not going to drive”, the summary states.

She was dropped at her car at 11.28pm. She got into the driver’s seat and drove about 24km towards her home address in Lucas Heights, on Auckland’s North Shore.

Jason Collins was hit on Obrien Rd in Albany - the summary of facts states his exact position on the road was unknown; a scene analysis indicated he may have been lying partially on the road.

He was dragged more than 30 metres.

“The impact caused significant, unsurvivable injuries to Mr Collins,” said the summary of facts.

“In explanation, the defendant stated that she did not know she had hit anyone and momentarily took her eyes off the road to adjust the vehicle’s radio and thought she hit a pothole.”

A big contingent of family and friends of Jason Collins were in court yesterday, as Cribb pleaded guilty.

Outside the courtroom, one of Collins’ three sons, Max, was tearful as he described his father as a great man.

“I looked up to him,” he told the Herald.

He said Cribb did not look at him in court and kept her head down. “You can’t really get a sense of any character or anything.”

He told the Herald he would be interested in engaging with her in a restorative justice process.

The guilty plea, Max said, did not bring relief.

Jason Collins’ family said in a statement earlier this year that his death had left “an unfillable void in our hearts”.

They described him as a “devoted father, husband and trusted friend”.

“His absence is a constant ache, a relentless reminder of what we’ve lost,” the family said in their statement, released by police.

“Taken from us too soon, his departure is a profound and senseless blow that we struggle to comprehend.

“Each day is a battle against the overwhelming emptiness left in his wake.”

The Dentsu advertising agency - which hosted the Christmas party last December - said in a statement through chief executive Rob Harvey: “This is a tragic incident and we have the deepest sympathy for the families involved.

“We take our responsibilities and the wellbeing of our team very seriously, and have been supporting our staff throughout and in full cooperation with the police during this investigation.”

Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor.