The 24-year-old defendant appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday by video link from prison after being charged with dangerous driving causing the death of John Taylor and failing to stop and ascertain injury after a crash.
The man — who fought back tears as the hearing progressed — was granted interim name suppression following his first court hearing on Monday and yesterday Judge David Robinson continued that order at the request of counsel John Westgate.
The lawyer said he had been told further charges would be laid which could ‘‘necessitate jurisdictional changes’’.
The case would be elevated to the High Court if a charge of manslaughter was laid by police.
On January 30, at 9pm, the defendant was allegedly driving in Wickliffe Tce, Port Chalmers, when he hit a power pole.
At the time, a witness told the Otago Daily Times they had noticed the vehicle in the area and after the incident, saw someone ‘‘getting out of the car bleeding’’.
Resident Simon Leaning said he and his partner ran outside to see what had happened after they heard the crash and the electricity in their house went out.
One person was lying unconscious in the street and another was ‘‘desperately’’ trying to revive him, he said.
‘‘He was just yelling at him going ‘Wake up, I love you, wake up’.’’
A police spokesman said as well as Mr Taylor, one person was seriously injured in the crash and another suffered minor injuries.
The defendant did not apply for bail and will appear again in court later this month.
