The identity and plea of the man charged with manslaughter after a ute crash that claimed the life of an Otago man remains a mystery.
The man charged with the crash resulting in the death of Tahakopa man Jack Victor Hugh Stephens appeared in the High Court at Invercargill for the first time yesterday.
The 20-year-old defendant stood in the dock and was supported by his family on one side, while Mr Stephens’ supporters appeared on the other.
Defence counsel Kate McHugh said there were ongoing issues she needed to explore before she decided to argue for permanent name suppression for her client.
Justice Cameron Mander granted interim name suppression until the man’s next appearance, on August 29.
Ms McHugh said she would be "happy" to indicate then where they were in terms of a plea.
Along with manslaughter, the defendant is also facing a charge of drink-driving causing death and drink-driving causing injury.
A police statement said previously police attended the fatal crash on the Niagara-Tokanui highway about 8.35pm on February 15.
It said a ute had rolled between McManus and Quarry Hills Fortification Rds and, despite the best efforts of emergency services, Mr Stephens died at the scene.
Two other occupants of the ute received serious to critical injuries, police said.
At the start of July, a relative of Mr Stephens told the Otago Daily Times the family were "just pleased" a prosecution was going ahead over the fatal crash.
Four and a-half months on from the crash, police said a 20-year-old man had been charged with manslaughter in relation to the accident.
At the time, the relative said the family were still pretty upset and declined to comment further, saying they would wait and see what happened at the trial.
"It’s still too fresh," the family member said.
