Sentence sequel to beach road death

Press, 11 April 1984, Page 6

Sentence sequel to beach road death

Nelson reporter A young man convicted of driving with an excess blood-alcohol count and with careless driving causing the death on January 1 of a man at Kaiteriteri Beach, was sentenced to six months periodic detention in the District Court at Nelson yesterday. Last week, Mark Cornells Jimmink, aged 23, a driver, admitted driving with an excess blood-alcohol count (137-100) at the beach on January 1 and with the careless use of the vehicle causing the death of a pedestrian, Richard James Vial, on the Kaiteriteri Beach Road. Judge Headifen also placed Jimmink on probation for a year, disqualified him from driving for two years on the negligent driving causing death charge and one year on the excess blood-alcohol charge, and made the terms of disqualification concurrent. The periodic detention sentences will also be served concur-

rently. The police said that while

festivities were still continuing at the beach, about 2.30 a.m. on New Year’s Day, Jimmink had driven a car-load of passengers along the road, controlled by a 30km/h limit, at about 70km/h. Mr Vial, one of a group walking along the road, had not got out of the way quickly enough and was struck from behind by the car, dying in an ambulance on the way to hospital. Mr P. C. Gilbert, for Jimmink, said that the defendant accepted he was negligent and had no excuses to offer for his driving. Judge Headifen said that other more serious charges against Jimmink had been withdrawn by the police. He said that he must have regard to the sentences imposed by the High Court “in this very court room” in relation to similar charges and he had to follow the decisions of that Court “whether I disagree with them or not.”