Judge sorry for trial delay

A Napier District Court judge has pledged to do all he can to help ease the trauma of bereaved victims of fatal crashes, after a trial took more than 18 months to come to court.

Judge Geoff Rea made the pledge with what he called "embarrassment" over the unnecessary delay.

The trial led to the conviction of Melinda Anne Rogan, 28, of Taupo on a charge of aggravated careless use of a motor vehicle causing the death of her passenger, Karen Joy Kelland, 39, also of Taupo, and injury to a young passenger in an oncoming vehicle.

The crash happened just east of Tarawera about 5.45am on February 8 last year, when the car Rogan was driving from Napier to Taupo skidded on loose gravel.

She over-corrected and crashed into an oncoming Isuzu Bighorn.

The trial was not held until last month, and centred on whether roadworks where the crash happened had adequate warning signs.

Judge Rea said he had to take some responsibility for the trial's delay, as it was his job to ensure that jury trials in Napier were heard as quickly as possible.

"This case has slipped through the cracks," he said. "I will do what I can do to ensure people suffer as little as possible."

Evidence at the trial indicated at least two lesser motoring mishaps had occurred at the scene in the 24 hours before the crash, but Judge Rea told Rogan on Thursday that while she "quite clearly" had not seen the signs, the jury had held that they were "there to be seen."

A Victim Support worker read out a victim impact statement from Ms Kelland's sister detailing the family's devastation.

The death had orphaned two boys, aged 14 and 9, and their mother's loss would "weigh heavily" on the family for the rest of their lives, the statement said.

Judge Rea said it was also clear Rogan was "completely and utterly devastated."

He sentenced her to 200 hours' community work followed by nine months' probation and disqualified her from driving for two years.

- NZPA