A beloved and devoted husband and father died after a young woman spent hours drinking at her work Christmas party - and then drove home.
A 22-year-old advertising industry worker – and daughter of a former All Black – told police she thought she had hit a pothole as she drove home from a work Christmas function on a dark semi-rural road after a heavy drinking session.
In fact she had fatally struck a North Shore man, dragging him 30m beneath her car, but failed to stop and offer assistance.
Helena Cribb today pleaded guilty to her role in the man’s death.
Before Judge Kathryn Maxwell in the North Shore District Court, Cribb – daughter of 15-test All Black Ron Cribb – faced two charges following the death of Jason Collins, 65, on a rural Albany road in December last year.
Supporting Cribb in the courtroom were her former All Black father and his friend and former North Harbour and All Blacks teammate Troy Flavell.
A large group of family and friends of Jason Collins were also in court. They have described Collins as a “devoted father, husband and trusted friend” and that his death is a “profound and senseless blow”.
Cribb has been remanded on bail for sentencing on December 18.
She did not respond to requests for comment as she left the court alongside her supporters.
Cribb originally faced two charges after the incident: firstly, operating a vehicle carelessly, causing death; and secondly, failing to stop to ascertain whether anyone had been injured.
That first charge was replaced with a new charge when she appeared in court in late June – operating a vehicle carelessly, causing a death while under the influence of drink or a drug, or both, but not so as to commit an offence against section 61 of the Land Transport Act.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment, 12 months’ disqualification of a driver’s licence, and a $10,000 fine.
Cribb’s father Ron Cribb was a No 8 loose forward who played 15 tests for the All Blacks in 2000-2001, scoring a total of four tries. He has also appeared in TV shows Match Fit and Celebrity Treasure Island.
According to the agreed police summary of facts, Helena Cribb attended her work Christmas celebrations on the afternoon of Thursday, December 7.
She was working for the Dentsu advertising agency at the time.
Over the course of the afternoon, she went to a colleague’s house first, at 1.30pm.
It is understood the work function started from about 3pm, with official transport to a licensed premises. She went to a second licensed premises later in the evening.
She was drinking alcohol through the afternoon and evening.
”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,” the summary of facts states.
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.
“The defendant drove along Obrien Rd, Lucas Heights, this is an unlit, two-lane sealed rural road with a posted speed limit of 60km/h, at this time the road was dry and it was dark with no street lighting.”
Her car struck Collins on Obrien Rd.
“The exact position of the victim prior to the collision is not known, scene analysis indicates he was either laying down on the road or laying partially in the road,” the summary states.
Crash scene analysis revealed he was dragged almost 32m.
”Following the collision, the defendant did not stop and continued to her home address.
“The impact with Mr Collins caused extensive damage to the underside of the defendant’s vehicle to the extent that it broke down the following morning.”
Broken pieces of plastic from the car were also recovered from the crash scene.
“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.”
Cribb was today supported by about 20 people on the right side of the public gallery.
Nearly 30 people sat on the left side of the courtroom in respect of Jason Collins.
Cribb’s lawyer Adam Holland told the court his client was motivated to meet with the victim’s family and undertake restorative justice.
Holland told Judge Maxwell there was no issue with her entering a conviction following the pleas, meaning she will not be seeking a discharge without conviction.
She was then convicted on both charges.
Jason Collins’ family said in an earlier statement 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.”
Outside the courtroom, one of Collins’ three sons, Max, teared up 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 plea today, Max said, did not bring relief.
A member of the public found Collins unresponsive on Obrien Rd in the early hours of December 7.
At the same time as the family’s statement was released in April, police announced charges had been laid.
Helena Cribb - who was listed in court documents as an assistant - abandoned name suppression at a previous court appearance in late June.
She had been an advertising account coordinator who had been working at the Dentsu agency last year, before JCDecaux hired her – and welcomed her in a social media post – earlier this year.
She has moved on from JCDecaux.
Dentsu chief executive Rob Harvey said in a statement earlier: “The incident, alleged to involve a former employee, occurred in a private capacity and is subject to court proceedings therefore we are unable to provide any comment.”
JCDecaux earlier declined to comment.
In a statement after Collins’ death, police said they had charged the alleged driver with careless driving causing death and failing to stop or ascertain injury or death after a crash.
“The vehicle and driver allegedly involved [were] identified in the days following Jason’s death,” said Detective Sergeant Ben Bergin.
“A thorough investigation has been under way into the tragic circumstances by the Waitematā criminal investigation branch and we have reached a point where charges have been filed.”
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.
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