Guilty plea over Alexandra crash death

Ravineel Avikash Sharma was killed in the crash.
Ravineel Avikash Sharma was killed in the crash.
A Central Otago man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter following the death of a 19-year-old man in a car crash in Alexandra last year.

Scott David Millar (19), labourer, appeared before the High Court at Dunedin this morning where he also admitted a charge of reckless driving.

After consuming a significant amount of alcohol at a party in Chicago St, Alexandra on August 10, the defendant offered Ravineel Avikash Sharma and another man a ride home.

Crown prosecutor Robin Bates said Millar had done at least one “road-cone beer bong” at the gathering, which allowed him to consume a large amount of alcohol in a short space of time.

Witnesses at the party described him as “intoxicated” and estimate he was a “six out of 10” on a scale of drunkenness.

When one of Millar's passengers realised he was travelling the wrong way back to his house, he asked the driver what was going on.

The driver said he was going “the long way” and proceeded to drive at speed on Dunstan Rd.

First he slid through an intersection and mounted a footpath. 

A witness who saw the incident said the speed Millar was travelling was between 80kmh and 120kmh.

He drove off without inspecting the damage, hitting the open road and increasing his speed.

Both passengers continually asked him to slow down but Millar refused. 

The man in the back of the car said he looked at the speedometer which was at or beyond 180kmh.

Millar then turned off to Alexandra Airport where he performed several “donuts”, using the handbrake to slide his vehicle around.

Back on Coates Rd, the court heard how the defendant tried to drift around another corner.

He skidded on to the opposite side of the road, back to the correct side and down a steep hill.

The car rolled down the slope and collided with a tree which crushed the roof directly above Mr Sharma.

He sustained severe head and neck injuries and died almost immediately in the front seat.

The back seat passenger, managed to pull himself out and get help as Millar sat trapped.

The defendant was taken to Dunstan Hospital and then airlifted to Dunedin where he was put in an induced coma.

A blood sample taken revealed an alcohol reading of 142mg – nearly twice the legal limit.

Mr Bates said Millar had received demerit points on his licence over two incidents and had been given diversion on a charge of careless driving eerily similar to the fatal crash in Alexandra.

On that occasion, in November 2016, Millar had rolled his car 100m down a steep bank on the peninsula.

He completed a defensive driving course and was not convicted by the court. 

Millar was remanded in custody and will be sentenced in April.

 

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