KEY POINTS:
A 29-year-old woman is in custody awaiting sentence after admitting her driving while under the influence of drink or drugs caused the death of a 77-year-old pensioner riding his mobility scooter.
Nadine Atkinson, a mother of a two-year-old child, will be sentenced in the Christchurch District Court on May 14.
Judge Stephen Erber noted that she had previous convictions for drink-driving in 1998 and for careless driving and failing to stop in August 2004.
Judge Erber denied her application for bail, saying that because of her previous convictions she would be remanded in custody. He ordered a probation report and victim impact report to be prepared for the sentencing.
Atkinson had originally pleaded not guilty and had been due for a defended hearing before a judge yesterday, but defence counsel Tony Garrett Garrett sought leave to change the plea.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Tu Maaka told the court the accident happened about 1.40pm on May 1 last year. Atkinson was seen driving along Cranford St in Christchurch in an erratic fashion, swerving across the lane.
The victim, Ronald Duff, was driving along the 60km/h rural section of the street on his mobility scooter.
As Atkinson approached, she swerved left across the road and collided head-on with Mr Duff and his scooter. The impact crushed the scooter and its rider and shoved them back 30m along the road.
Mr Duff was taken away by ambulance but died in hospital an hour later.
When Atkinson was spoken to by a doctor he formed the view that she was affected by drugs to such an extent that she was incapable of having proper control of a vehicle, said Mr Maaka.
She told the police she had not seen anyone ahead, gave a bottle to a child in the car, and when she looked up she suddenly saw the other vehicle.
Mr Garrett said there were some unusual aspects of the case, and a jail sentence was not inevitable for Atkinson.
There was an issue with the position and direction in which Mr Duff was travelling.
- NZPA
