Jack Stephens died on February 15 in 2025 after a ute he was in rolled on the Niagara-Tokanui highway. PHOTO: SUPPLIED A Tokanui man ‘‘unleashed hell’’ and ‘‘betrayed’’ his best friend when he killed him in a high-speed, drunken crash on a rural Southland road, a court has heard. Aaron Templeton, 20, appeared in the High Court at Invercargill yesterday and was sentenced to two years, seven months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of 20-year-old Jack Stephens and drink-driving causing injury to 19-year-old Morgan Stephens. Templeton was driving the two cousins home on February 15, 2025, after a drinking session at the Tokanui Tavern when he approached a corner at high speed, flipping his ute. The defendant and Jack Stephens were not wearing seatbelts and were ejected from the vehicle, while Morgan Stephens, who had put his belt on just moments prior, remained inside the car. Jack’s father Paul Stephens said he initially had sympathy for the defendant — until he learnt what took place that night. ‘‘They both deserved so much better of someone who was regarded as a friend,’’ he said. Mr Stephens told Templeton, ‘‘I don’t want to hear from you, I don’t want to know where you are or ever see you again’’. Jack’s mother, Heidi Stephens, said she was haunted by the thoughts of her son and how he felt in those final moments. ‘‘Aaron, you were meant to be his best friend, you were supposed to look after him but you didn’t, you betrayed him,’’ she said. ‘‘You have unleashed hell on our family, you have stolen our happiness ... I will never forgive you.’’ Morgan was rushed to Dunedin hospital following the crash and his father Clarke Stephens recalled the pain of seeing his son in critical condition. ‘‘Not once have I heard sorry from you, you are a coward. ‘‘We will never forget you but we choose not to remember you,’’ he said. Crown prosecutor Mike Brownlie said no sentence could possibly measure the amount of loss and harm. The court heard Templeton reached speeds of 127kmh and had an estimated blood-alcohol level of 189mg — nearly four times the legal adult limit. He was on his restricted licence at the time and under 20, which meant he should not have been carrying passengers or have consumed any alcohol. Justice Rob Osborne said what happened that night was not simply a single mistake to drink and drive, but a series of deliberate and calculated decisions. The defendant was offered a ride home by his mother and the bar manager, both of which he turned down. The judge acknowledged the defendant had shown remorse and taken steps towards rehabilitation. The judge said he had received ‘‘the largest amount of litigation material’’ he had ever seen for this case. One hundred and eleven people submitted testimonies about Templeton including immediate family, associates and work contacts. ‘‘At the point you committed these crimes, you were viewed by your community as a thoroughly decent young man,’’ the judge said. However, he described the defendant’s relationship with alcohol as ‘‘perturbing’’. The court heard that whenever Templeton would drink, it usually ended with him vomiting or passing out. Alongside the prison term, the defendant will be disqualified from holding a licence for two and a-half years once released. The victim’s girlfriend said the effects of grief and loss had permanently affected her. She now had trouble sleeping, plagued by intense nightmares surrounding her boyfriend’s death. ‘‘Every day I would wait for him to come home; the future we were building together no longer exists.’’ tayler.mutton@odt.co.nz
