A Christchurch teenager who killed a passenger while driving at speed under the influence of cannabis will spend three-and-a-half years in prison.
Adam Michael Rapson, 19, sat with his head lowered throughout the sentencing at the High Court in Christchurch, which was full of family and friends in the public gallery.
Justice Rachel Dunningham also disqualified Rapson from driving for three years upon his release.
Rapson had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, two charges of dangerous driving causing injury, failing to stop for police, being an unaccompanied learner driver, and driving a vehicle issued with a non-operation order.
Court records show Rapson was driving up to 147km/h when he lost control and crashed into a property in Rangiora in September last year.
Rapson had consumed cannabis throughout the day and had 3.0-4.5 milligrams of THC in his system.
Eighteen-year-old Zara Mitchell died at the scene while two other passengers were left injured. They were not wearing seatbelts.
Rapson had earlier been stopped by police and issued with a non-operation order, due to the condition of the car, which the court heard was pieced together with a variety of mismatched and cracked rims and had little to no tread on some tyres.
The car had no registration visible and the Warrant of Fitness sticker had been scratched off.
Zara’s mother Anna cried as she read her victim impact statement to the court, and said that she had forgiven Rapson.
She said everyone knew Zara was someone who “loved with all her heart and her arms wide open” but that she was also a teenager, who was at “a stage in her life when bad choices are almost unpreventable”.
“What we can forgive is a stupid choice made by a friend in the heat of the moment, one of many made that night by many individuals that has had a devastating effect on my family and changed the course of Adam’s life forever.
“I stand here today in support of Adam, as I know Zara would have wanted.
“Adam made a choice that night, just as Zara did, to get into the car,” said Anna Mitchell.
She said Adam has shared his remorse with their family, expressing “the soul-crushing guilt he faces daily”, and he’s taken responsibility for his actions, even donating all his savings to help with the cost of Zara’s funeral.
“I believe that Adam has hit rock-bottom now. The choices he made that night is something he now has to live with for the rest of his life and honestly, I think this is punishment enough.
“He is now at a crossroads in his life that I truly believe he wants to make it count.
“Zara deserves for her memory to be honoured and I believe Adam will spend the rest of his life making sure this happens by doing something meaningful with his,” said Anna Mitchell.