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Street racer smirks after being found guilty of manslaughter

Publish Date
Tue, 20 Feb 2018, 12:41PM
Four people were killed in the crash outside Hamilton Airport. (Photo / Supplied)
Four people were killed in the crash outside Hamilton Airport. (Photo / Supplied)

Street racer smirks after being found guilty of manslaughter

Publish Date
Tue, 20 Feb 2018, 12:41PM

The driver of a car involved in a street race that ended in the deaths of four people has been found guilty of manslaughter.

Dylan Cossey, 20, was found guilty on all six charges laid after the 2016 crash. His passenger Stephen John Jones, also 20, was found not guilty of manslaughter after a week-long trial in the High Court at Hamilton, but guilty of failing to stop and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The pair were charged with the manslaughter of Hamilton woman Hannah Leis Strickett-Craze, 24, Paul De Silva, 20, and Lance Robinson, 28, both of Te Awamutu, and Jason McCormick Ross, 19, of Stratford by way of illegal street racing. A van driver was also seriously injured. He has name suppression.

The crash happened on Ohaupo Rd, at the intersection of Ingram Rd, outside Hamilton Airport, on June 24, 2016, when Robinson lost control of his northbound Nissan Skyline and collided with the southbound van.

The jury of five men and seven women began deliberations at 1.35pm yesterday. Family and media were told the jury had reached verdicts just after 11am today.

Cossey smirked when his verdict was read and his father and sister stormed out of the court.

Loud cries came from the victims' families in the public gallery.

James breathed a sigh of relief.

Cossey was also issued a three strikes warning as manslaughter is a qualifying violence offence.

Dylan Cossey faced charges over a crash which killed three men and one woman in Hamilton. Photo / File

Dylan Cossey faced charges over a crash which killed three men and one woman in Hamilton. (Photo / File)

Both Cossey and Jones were granted bail by Justice Hinton this afternoon.

Cossey was given a 24-hour curfew, while Jones is allowed to continue to work and has a curfew of between 7pm and 7am.

Narissa Ryan, who was Paul De Silva's partner at the time of the crash, said she was "very happy" with the verdicts.

"It means they can all rest in peace now."

Friend and godmother of the couple's 3-year-old child, Crystal Brownlee, said they were pleased with the verdicts, including Jones' not guilty for manslaughter.

"He wasn't the one with his foot on the accelerator."

The family of Jason McCormick Ross said the only thing he did that night was to "trust a new acquaintance, Lance Robinson with his life and become an innocent passenger in this man's vehicle".

"We are relieved with the outcome today and we [hope] that the 'boy racer community' reflects on this guilty verdict and comes to some conclusions that their illegal and criminal behaviour on our roads is not tolerated, and takes innocent, precious lives like that of my son."

They were not impressed with Jones' not guilty verdict for manslaughter.

"Stephen Jones' lesser charges in our minds in no way reflects his innocence but is merely a result of a jury unable to convict him without reasonable doubt."

Jason McCormick Ross' family held this photo of him throughout the week long trial. Photo / Belinda Feek

Jason McCormick Ross' family held this photo of him throughout the week long trial. (Photo / Belinda Feek)

Grace Kennedy, De Silva's aunt, said justice had been served.

"I feel like there is justice for what happened because you know deep down inside that there's no amount of things that will bring him back but you do feel like it's justice for what happened."

The week had been incredibly draining and tiring for all of the family, she said.

Hannah Strickett-Craze's aunt, Tania Bowkett, said the verdicts wouldn't bring her niece back.

"Nothing changes for us, Hannah's still gone. There seems to be a little bit of, we now know what happened in the last half hour of her life. And what we do have is a little boy who is still growing up without his mother."

Cossey and Jones had denied four charges of manslaughter by means of illegally racing. They were also charged with operating a motor vehicle in a race or unnecessary exhibition of speed causing injury and failing to stop.

Narissa Ryan and Crystal Brownlee, friends of all four victims, say they don't want either accused jailed, but an apology would be good. Photo / Belinda Feek

Narissa Ryan and Crystal Brownlee, friends of all four victims, say they don't want either accused jailed, but an apology would be good. (Photo / Belinda Feek)

Jones faced an additional charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice at Hamilton on June 28, 2016, after allegedly editing and shortening a film he took as the crash happened.

Cossey's lawyer Phil Morgan QC earlier told the jury the unquestionable issue was that Robinson drove "dangerously or recklessly and that he caused the deaths of the deceased".

"But it's stretching the law too far to say it's Mr Cossey who is guilty of manslaughter."

Jones' lawyer Russell Boot told the court on Friday that his client was "merely a passenger in the car" and did nothing more than film the Skyline's overtaking manoeuvre and then give it to police to help them.

Boot also said the blame for deaths lay at the feet of Robinson, who was driving with alcohol, methamphetamine and cannabis in his system.

The pair were convicted by Justice Anne Hinton and will be sentenced on April 20.

Family of Hannah Strickett-Craze, including her aunty Tanya Bowkett (pictured). Photo / Belinda Feek

Family of Hannah Strickett-Craze, including her aunty Tanya Bowkett (pictured). (Photo / Belinda Feek)

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