Lack of remorse after fatal crash

A girl racer who crashed her high-performance car into a power pole, killing one passenger and injuring another apparently sent spiteful text messages to one of the victims and did not say sorry.

Hamilton Youth Court heard the claims in victim impact reports before Judge Alex Twaddle.

The girl's lawyer said his client had shown remorse and had attempted to contact the victim's mother.

The 16-year-old, whose name is suppressed, admitted charges of dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing injury.

She was sentenced to three months in a youth justice facility followed by three months' supervision. The judge said if she had been older, she would have faced jail.

The charges relate to the death last December of Hamilton secondary school student Amelia Henry, 16, after a Te Rapa crash.

Her best friend, Niki Gibbison, 16, suffered a shattered femur and left foot in the crash.

The girls were injured after the car crashed through a brick wall into a power pole on Ulster St.

The court was told the car had reached nearly 100km/h and was racing other vehicles.

Judge Twaddle disqualified the teenager from driving for 12 months and ordered her to pay $290 reparation to Ms Gibbison.

Amelia's mother, Leigh Henry, read her victim impact statement to the judge, explaining the irreplaceable loss of her only child, who died in a car driven by a teenager who wanted to "play on Hamilton's roads".

"I received 100 sympathy cards but not one from [the offender's] family," she said.

Niki's mother, Kathy Gibbison, read a statement and one from her daughter, who was distressed by text messages allegedly sent by the offender.

Judge Twaddle referred to a social worker's report which said the girl was in denial, with no sense of responsibility for her crimes.

- NZPA