Shakespeare Road tragedy: Man charged with manslaughter following horror crash in Napier

Kaumatua Tiwana Aranui blesses the Shakespeare Road crash site in Napier on the morning after the fatal crash. Photo / Paul Taylor

A man who allegedly crashed a car with nine people in it while on a joyride through Napier, killing a woman, has been charged with manslaughter.

Mithias Oshae Te Pou, 24, also faces seven charges of recklessly causing injury and one of failing to stop for red and blue lights.

The charges follow a crash late in the evening of Saturday, October 29 last year, when a dark blue Honda CRV with nine people inside hit a parked vehicle and overturned on Shakespeare Rd, Napier.

Harmony Te Pou, 20, died as a result of the crash and other people who were badly injured were taken to hospitals as far away as Wellington and Christchurch.

Mithias Te Pou appeared in the High Court on Friday. The accused, judge and counsel were in different locations and the hearing was held via an audio-visual link.

Justice Christine Grice remanded Te Pou in custody until his next hearing in November. There was no application for bail.

A deemed not guilty plea was entered to allow Te Pou’s counsel, Nicola Graham, more time to receive instructions.

Napier Crown Solicitor Steve Manning appeared for the prosecution.