‘You should have stopped,’ judge tells man about death of woman dragged in car

The life of a grieving family of a young woman killed after being dragged by a car down a Hamilton street will never be the same again as they struggle to come to terms with her death nearly two years later.

Kaeo’s man, Quintin Heihei, was sentenced today to a dangerous driving charge that killed 24-year-old Takotoroa Māreikura on a suburban Hamilton street.

Judge Kim Saunders sentenced the 30-year-old to nine months of home detention and disqualified him from driving for two years.

Māreikura had just moved to Hamilton at the end of September 2018.

The court heard how she met Heihei, 30, on social media and the couple finally met in person on the night of September 29.

They spent the day together drinking and visiting various houses in Hamilton, before heading to his sister’s house on Charlemont St.

However, when they left, they had an argument about who was going to pay for the taxi. Heihei approached her car as Māreikura got out of the taxi.

Heihei got into his car and started backing up a driveway. Māreikura approached the front passenger door, opened it, and then tried to enter.

But Heihei didn’t stop and Māreikura was swept away by the movement of her car for a short time before she fell onto the road and hit her head.

Heihei rushed to her aid and pulled her out of the way.

Māreikura would succumb to his injuries in hospital 24 hours later.

Heihei’s attorney, Jess Tarrant, claimed that his client had shown genuine remorse since the incident, even as the victim’s impact statements were read today.

“He is significantly guilty and cannot forgive himself for the tragic incident … he will continue to carry this guilt for the rest of his life, as will the victim’s family.”

Crown prosecutor Sarah Hames said that although Heihei grew up surrounded by violence, he was never a target and his mother had taught him right from wrong.

“The crown notes that although Mr. Heihei’s background comes into play, there is no substantial explanation or link to his own personal decisions that have harmed him.”

The author of the pre-sentence compared his experience to growing up in an “Once Were Warriors” home; his father was in the Black Power, his mother was beaten, and drugs and alcohol abounded.

However, Judge Saunders pointed out that even though his mother loved him and was in court today to support him.

He had a job in the construction industry and was eager to eventually move to Gisborne.

The judge felt sorry for the painful whanau of Māreikura, including his mother, from Rotorua, and his sister, and stated that it had been a time of “great sadness and mixed emotions for them.”

“I will acknowledge her pain and pain. Her behavior that day undoubtedly turned their lives upside down and it will never be the same again.

“The consequences for his sister have been heartbreaking.”

He said it was not a case in which a young woman was killed for misconduct or driving while intoxicated, even though she had been drinking.

“I accept the decision to keep driving once Māreikura tried to get into your car it was impulsive and you deeply regretted it.

“This was an accident, but with tragic consequences. You should have stopped and let her into your car.”

Heihei will serve his sentence at his mother’s Kaikohe home.