Facing prison after fatal crash, man vows to give up driving

3:54 pm on 15 June 2018

A man sentenced to more than two years in prison after driving his car at excessive speed into a runner says he will never get behind the wheel of a car again.

Sentencing for Nathan Lyon for reckless driving causing the death of a runner, Caroline Boyd on a Paekakariki footpath.

Sentencing for Nathan Lyon for reckless driving causing the death of a runner, Caroline Boyd on a Paekakariki footpath. Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller

Nathan James Lyon was sentenced today to 28 months imprisonment, a further eight months to be served concurrently, and disqualified from driving for four years upon release.

Lyon earlier pleaded guilty to reckless driving causing death, reckless driving causing injury and driving while suspended.

Mrs Boyd, 56, was out for one of her daily jogs on 19 March 2017, when she was struck by Lyon, who had lost control of his car while speeding.

Justice Thomas said Lyon had deliberately allowed his car to lose traction and 'slide' as a means of showing off to his stepdaughter, who was in the passenger seat.

Loose gravel on the newly resealed road caused Lyon to lose control and plough directly into Mrs Boyd.

She suffered multiple serious injuries and died at the scene.

In a victim impact statement in the High Court in Wellington this morning, her daughter Becky described her mother as the "heart and soul" of their family and said Lyon's actions showed a total disregard for human life.

She said her mother had looked forward to a future of running, reading and weekend trips to the family bach.

Her mother had always been afraid of cars, she said, and would often point out the dangerous actions of motorists to friends and family.

She said Mrs Boyd would be angry her life had been cut short by the actions of a stupid and arrogant individual.

During sentencing, Justice Thomas said Lyon had shown genuine remorse for his actions, and relayed statements he had made to the author of the pre-trial report.

"You said to the writer, you could never be sorry enough for the family of Mrs Boyd, you will never forget what you have done, and you have now learnt what is important in life," she said.

"You said you wanted to write a letter to the family, but the police told you not to make contact. You also said you were concerned about the impact your offending has had on your own family."

Justice Thomas said she believed Lyon was a caring family man, whose difficult upbringing, which saw him spend a period of time in state care, had probably contributed to his irresponsible behaviour.

"You are obviously a good and loving partner, father and step-father, contributing to the family and enabling it to function as a family unit."

His willingness to participate in restorative justice - a process where an offender meets with victims and their supporters - had also worked in his favour, Justice Thomas said.

Both families wept as the sentence was handed down.

When sentencing finished, Lyon called out to his partner "see ya babe, I love you".