Brent James Tiddy (26) appeared in the High Court at Dunedin this afternoon after previously pleading guilty to the manslaughter of 42-year-old Katherine Joyce Broad.
Justice Rachel Dunningham imposed a minimum non-parole period of two years.
“This was an extended period of driving that disregarded virtually every rule designed to keep road users safe,” she said.
The victim’s daughter Tara Broad was 37 weeks pregnant at the time and told the court she was heartbroken her child had missed out on a relationship with their grandmother,
The court heard some of the family were left further traumatised by a restorative justice meeting in with Tiddy in June.
“You walked into that room, head down, cursing, swearing and kicking furniture . . . very aggressive,” said Tara Broad.
“You didn’t even look at us.”
Tiddy had told them how he always drove drunk but would not do so in the future.
“If anything, it added to our grief,” Tara Broad said of the meeting.
The victim’s son Casey Antill said they had been rebuilding their relationship before the crash.
“I’m now having to look at a future without my beautiful, quirky mother,” he said. “She was a one-off and I loved her.”
On January 23, he was driving the victim’s Honda Accord around Dunedin and was initially seen hitting a kerb as he parked at a fast-food restaurant.
They then travelled north on State Highway 1 and Tiddy’s erratic driving was witnessed by several other motorists as he recklessly overtook, swerving into the wrong lane.
At 11pm, the defendant passed another car, narrowly missing a truck travelling in the opposite direction.
One witness said Tiddy was so close to the rear of their vehicle, they could not see his headlights.
Less than half an hour later, he entered Waikouaiti where there was a temporary 30kmh speed limit because of road works.
Tiddy lost control on gravel, hit the speed sign, rolled the vehicle and slammed into a tree.
Ms Broad died instantly from "catastrophic injuries", while the driver was hospitalised with broken ribs and a broken collarbone.
Neither she nor Tiddy were wearing a seatbelt, court documents said.
A serious crash investigation showed the incident was caused by excessive speed, inappropriate braking or a combination of the two.
When police analysed Ms Broad’s cell phone they discovered an app which recorded location and speed, which revealed Tiddy hit 158kmh during the fatal trip.
In hospital he gave a blood-alcohol reading of 140mg – nearly three times the legal limit – and the presence of THC (the active constituent of cannabis) was also detected.
Tiddy told police he could not remember the crash or the events in the lead up.
Crown prosecutor Richard Smith highlighted the fact the defendant was on bail at the time of the incident and in breach of his curfew.
Tiddy had racked up several driving convictions including an incident in 2020 when he was found drunk and doing doughnuts, eventually colliding with a police car.
Counsel Andrew Dawson said his client had mental-health issues and a background which explained his presentation at the meeting with the victim’s family.
Tiddy’s deportation from Australia in 2017, combined with his use of substances and criminal lifestyle, meant the tragedy was “always potentially on the cards”, he said.
The court heard the defendant had witnessed and been subject to violence and trauma throughout his life.
Tiddy had seen his baby brother drown in a bath and watched his mother attack his father with an axe, a report said.
He left school at 12 and became a father with an older woman at 14 before getting into drug-dealing, until his visa was revoked four years later.
Tiddy was assessed as a high risk of reoffending.
Justice Dunningham banned him from driving for five years, which would begin once he was released from prison
