'Suicide bomber' jailed

Drunk driver Richard Sumeo. Photo / Doug Sherring

The families of two young men killed when a "hopelessly drunk" driver smashed into their car have called his sentence unacceptable and compared him to a suicide bomber.

Richard Mark Sumeo, 34, was jailed for three years and four months and banned from driving indefinitely when he appeared before the Manukau District Court on Wednesday.

The court heard he was almost three times over the legal blood alcohol limit and was driving up to twice the speed limit when his van smashed into a car carrying four young friends.

Jonathan Jones, 20, and Ahmad Azimi, 19, were killed and two others were seriously injured.

Sumeo, who has a previous conviction for drink driving, was on a learner's licence and driving a vehicle with no warrant of fitness or registration.

Family members of the dead men said his sentence was unacceptable and failed to send a message to other drivers.

"He's not paying for what he did," said Jonathan's mother, Linda.

"Three years - what's that?" She said sentencing hadn't given the family any closure.

Ahmad's family held placards outside the courtroom bearing signs reading: "Drunk drivers are murderers". One of his brothers, Saboor, said: "This is not going to give any message to other drunk drivers."

In his victim impact statement, another brother, Akbar, said his family came to New Zealand to be safe from bombs and rockets in Afghanistan.

"We are the victim of a suicide bomber who has killed our beloved brother, and we want justice for it," he said.

The dead men were with friends Shafieq Davids and Andrew Verma on the night of the crash last April.

Davids reversed his Nissan Skyline on to Springs Rd, East Tamaki, when Sumeo's van ploughed into it from behind.

Judge Charles Blackie said crash investigators determined Sumeo was driving at between 90km/h and 113km/h in a 60km/h zone.

"The impact was so severe that the Nissan Skyline was literally concertinaed from the back, and the two rear seat passengers lost their lives," he told Sumeo.

"You, on the other hand, survived this accident without a scratch."

He said Sumeo had a blood alcohol level of 230mcg per 100ml of blood - almost three times the legal limit of 80mcg. Sumeo wept silently in the dock.

Akbar described Ahmad's life support machines being turned off as "the moment that took away our hearts and ripped our lives apart".

Jonathan's sister Kimberlee said her younger brother was the "light of our lives".

"He had a heart and a character to match his size, and without those in our lives there is a constant sense of loss."

Sumeo pleaded guilty to two counts of driving with excess blood alcohol causing death and two counts of driving with excess blood alcohol causing injury.

Each charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

After reading the sentence Judge Blackie said he accepted some members of the dead men's families would be disappointed.

"These are tragic cases and not one where the court can take any steps to restore your lives to what they were."

In sentencing, Judge Blackie said: "As you've heard them say today, there are bombs and rockets and even suicide bombers in New Zealand in the form of a drunk driver."

heather.mccracken@hos.co.nz