31 May 2012

Christmas Day crash trio to defend charges

3:30 pm on 31 May 2012

Three people accused of manslaughter after a fatal car crash on Christmas Day in Tauranga will defend the charges.

Merepeka Morehu Clark, 14, and her sister Brooklyn, 13, died after two cars collided on Welcome Bay road.

In the Rotorua High Court on Thursday, Hetaraka Reihana, 20 , pleaded not guilty to two charges of manslaughter.

Earlier this year, Haki Davey, 18, and the girls' mother, Philippa Morehu, 36, pleaded not guilty to similar charges.

Their trial is scheduled to start in the High Court in Hamilton on 4 March next year and is expected to take three weeks.