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A Canterbury man has been incarcerated for more than five years after killing a mother of two while driving drunk and with methamphetamine and cannabis in his system.
Daryl John Price, 42, was sentenced to five years and two months in jail, with a minimum non-parole period of two years and seven months, on charges of murder and driving with excess blood alcohol in the Superior Court of Christchurch on Thursday.
Judge Rob Osborne said it was difficult to determine the true extent of Price’s repentance.
Members of Dixon’s family were at sentencing, including his sisters and father, who had traveled from the UK and spent two weeks in controlled isolation.
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Dixon was born in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, and trained as a midwife at the University of Bradford before moving to Blenheim in June 2009. She, her husband, Scott, and their two daughters moved to Canterbury in 2017 when Dixon began working. at Christchurch Women’s Hospital.
Dixon was driving to the hospital when Price’s car collided with hers at the intersection of Sandy Knolls and West Coast Highways near West Melton on June 2, 2019.
Chris Skelton / Stuff
Daryl John Price in Christchurch Superior Court shortly before his sentencing.
Price pleaded guilty to manslaughter and driving with excess alcohol in his blood in August.
Nine statements about the impact of the victims were read in court Thursday, including that of Dixon’s husband on behalf of their two young daughters.
“I’m mad at the bad man for killing my mom. I am worried that my father will die and that there will be no one left to take care of us, ”said 5-year-old Lucia.
Iona, 7, said her mother was a kind and charming person and she wanted her to come back.
“I miss Mom picking me up from school. I miss mom rubbing my back at night and snuggling myself into bed, ”she said.
Scott Dixon said he would bear the loss of his wife for the rest of his life. It saddened him to know that she would never experience the joy of attending her daughters’ weddings and that they would not have their mother with them on their special days.
“You have killed a truly wonderful person,” he told Price.
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Tai Tarulata Dixon, Selwyn’s mother of two, died in a crash at the intersection of Sandy Knolls Rd and West Coast Rd, West Melton, on June 2, 2019.
“If we had a world full of people with attitudes like Tai, the world would be a much better place. You are here alive, a useless burden on our society. You brought so much misery to so many people. There are no winners here. “
Bernie Hartley described his daughter as a “lovely, lively, hardworking and loving person” who made friends wherever she went.
“The news of Tai’s death hit me like a bullet to the heart. The horror and loss of this will remain with us for the rest of our lives. “
Caitlin Hartley said that she and her sister had been inseparable since they were children.
Joe Johnson / Stuff
Daryl John Price arrives at Christchurch Superior Court in August 2020 before pleading guilty to the murder of Canterbury midwife Tai Dixon.
Tai Dixon’s death was a “terrible tragedy” that could “have been so easily prevented,” Hartley said.
“I cannot face the future without my sister. There is no way to fix this, there is no way to amend or improve it. “
A teammate tried to stop Price from driving
According to the factual summary, Price had been competing in an indoor cricket tournament at Action Sport in Christchurch over Queen’s birthday weekend.
He drank three or four bottles of beer at a bar after the tournament, then another at the awards show at Robbie’s Riccarton Sports Bar and Restaurant.
His demeanor began to change, and he became obnoxious and loud. He tried to buy another beer but was denied service.
Chris Skelton / Stuff
Daryl John Price walks into court to be sentenced.
He continued drinking and arguing with his teammates, before declaring that he needed to go home with Fairlie. Someone offered him a bed for the night, but he refused.
He fell in the parking lot and had to be helped up, then sat in his vehicle and smoked a substance that was not tobacco from a pipe.
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Scott and Tai Dixon had two daughters.
A teammate tried to take the keys from him, but he refused to hand them over.
Price was on the wrong side of the road when he collided head-on with Dixon’s car near Sandy Knolls Rd. She was killed at the scene.
Toxicology results later showed Price’s blood alcohol level to be 183 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. The legal limit for blood alcohol is 80 mg. Cannabis and methamphetamine were also present in his blood.
Judge Osborne said Price’s life had somehow come full circle. After being injured in an accident in his youth, Price developed substance abuse problems and dropped out of school at the age of 15.
The judge disqualified Price from driving for four years, beginning on his release from prison.
The hopeful Price family is sorry
Caitlin Hartley said Things outside of court that no sentence would have mitigated their loss, but they appreciated the minimal prison term imposed.
“We are grateful for the judge who took our statements into consideration to the extent that he appears to have.”
He said that while the family hadn’t seen any sign of remorse on Price’s part, they hoped he would.
“It is important to his rehabilitation that he can take responsibility for his actions.”
Hartley and other family members living in the UK face another two weeks of isolation when they return home, but she said it was worth being at the sentencing in person.
