Brent James Tiddy (26) appeared in the High Court at Dunedin yesterday, where he pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of 42-year-old Katherine Joyce Broad and the facts of the case were revealed for the first time.
Tiddy has never held a driver’s licence and had been convicted of driving offences as recently as 2021.
The court heard he was driving the victim’s Honda Accord around Dunedin on January 23 and was initially seen hitting a kerb as he parked at a fast-food restaurant.
After leaving, the pair travelled north on State Highway 1 and Tiddy’s erratic driving was witnessed by several other motorists as he recklessly overtook, swerving into the right-hand lane.
At 11pm, the defendant passed another car, narrowly missing a truck travelling in the opposite direction.
At 11.24pm he entered Waikouaiti, where there were road works and a 30kmh temporary speed limit.
Tiddy lost control on gravel, hit the speed sign, rolled the vehicle and slammed into a tree.
Ms Broad died instantly from "catastrophic injuries".
Neither she nor Tiddy was wearing a seatbelt, a Crown summary of facts said.
A serious crash investigation showed the incident was caused by excessive speed, inappropriate braking or a combination of the two.
Police analysed Ms Broad’s cellphone and found an app which recorded location and speed, showing Tiddy hit a top speed of 158kmh during the fatal trip.
In hospital he gave a blood-alcohol reading of 140mg — nearly three times the legal limit — and THC (the active constituent of cannabis) was also detected.
Tiddy told police he could not remember the crash or the events leading up to it.
He was originally charged with reckless driving causing death but that was earlier withdrawn by police and replaced by the more serious charge.
"We lost our mother yesterday due to a tragic accident and need support as she’s left five children and an unborn grandchild behind," the victim’s daughter, Tara, wrote online.
"Kat was a beautiful firecracker and she will be missed very much. We are devastated."
Tiddy was remanded in custody and will be sentenced in August.
