A memorial site for a Central Otago teen killed by a drink-driver has been stripped bare — the latest in a long list of blows for his grieving family.
Exactly one year after 19-year-old Ravineel Avikash Sharma died in the car of his drunk friend Scott David Millar, a 15-strong group of family and friends visited the remote site in Airport Rd, Alexandra.
They placed an engraved cross — bearing the victim's name and date of birth — tinsel, candles, flowers and a large heart-shaped piece of Oamaru stone on the site.
Last week it was cleaned out.
Ravineel's friend, Hajdyn Krsinic, rushed to the location when he was told.
"Everything was gone," he said.
Returning days later, he found the stone heart, smashed in two in a nearby ditch.
The Sharma family, Mr Krsinic said, had lived with his family when they moved
to New Zealand, so he regarded Ravineel as "pretty much my brother".
"It really pisses me off," he said of the vandalism.
For Ravineel's father Ratnesh, it was yet another unexpected trauma in the spiralling ordeal that had unfolded since the day of his son's death in August 2017.
Millar was originally sentenced to three years and 10 months’ imprisonment after admitting charges of manslaughter and reckless driving causing injury to another passenger.
In November 2019, however, the Court of Appeal slashed seven months from the driver's sentence and he was granted parole just three months later.
Mr Sharma, who had moved to the North Island after the tragedy, said hearing of the desecration was "another kick in the guts".
"I just can't believe it," he said.
"How can a human go and do these things?"
He had called the council, which confirmed that during any road works in the area, the memorial had been fenced off so it remained undisturbed.
The special spot had provided ongoing solace for the Sharma family because they knew Ravineel's friends would spend time there to remember him.
"It's much relief for me that he is not forgotten," Mr Sharma said.
He urged anyone with information to go to police and had a message for whoever was responsible.
"Put yourself in my shoes and think about what you've done."
