South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens appeared before the young man who struck and killed his son Charlie in a hit-and-run accident and spoke of his family’s deep and lasting anguish.
Dhirren Randhawa, the 19-year-old who was behind the wheel of the car in the Goolwa crash in November last year, appeared in the Adelaide District Court on Thursday for sentencing.
‘Not a day goes by that we don’t talk about Charlie, that we don’t talk about him together, there isn’t a day that we don’t shed a tear thinking about our son and how much we miss him. – said Mr. Stevens.
‘Charlie would have turned 19 on April 28 this year, but instead of celebrating, it took all our efforts to just get through the day.
“And we know that pain will be with us for the rest of our lives.”
Charlie suffered irreversible brain damage in the accident and died at Flinders Medical Center at the age of 18.
Randhawa pleaded guilty to aggravated driving without due care and leaving the scene of an accident after causing death.
The Stevens family came to court and sat in silence, while Randhawa stood before them in the dock.
South African Police Commissioner Grant Stevens is seen arriving with his family at court on Thursday.
Charlie Stevens was farewelled at the Adelaide Oval by hundreds of mourners in November
Mr. Stevens looked directly at Randhawa before speaking.
“We recognize that you have taken responsibility for what you have done and we are sure that it has been difficult for you,” he told the young man.
‘But you can move on and the people close to you still have you in their lives. We don’t have Charlie and we want you to remember that.
Charlie’s sister Sophie Tregloan spoke of feeling “physically ill” after receiving the phone call from her mother Emma telling her that Charlie had been hit by a car.
‘I hate you? Yes, I absolutely believe that, but what I hate most is what you have taken from me and my family,” he said.
‘Do I think of you as a person often? No… you’re not worth it.
‘You’ve taken so much from us in a foolish split-second decision. It’s Charlie’s heart that I will miss the most. He was kind, inclusive of all, a pillar of strength.’
Randhawa apologized to the Stevens family.
‘You are always on my mind and so is Charlie and you will be forever. “There are many things I would like to say, but most of all I want to say that I am sorry and I am sorry, Charlie,” he said.
Randhawa’s mother, Amreeta Stara, cried as she expressed her devastation.
Dhirren Randhawa, 19, and his mother Amreeta are seen arriving at court on Thursday.
Mr Stevens said his son’s 19th birthday had been a difficult day (Charlie Stevens pictured)
“Words cannot adequately express the pain and regret I feel over this devastating incident,” he said.
He spoke of the “emotional and mental turmoil” that has gripped his family since the accident that “traumatically changed our lives forever.”
Judge Joanne Tracey is considering an appropriate sentence for Randhawa, who is out on bail.
Randhawa hit Charlie at night while the teenager was celebrating Schoolies with friends at Goolwa Beach, south of Adelaide.
The court was told Randhawa accelerated, although not to the point of breaking the speed limit, in the moments before the accident.
Jane Abbey KC, representing Randhawa, said the parties accepted that “Mr Randhawa should have paid more attention to any risks that might have arisen in the darkness on the other side of the road”.
“And it was up to him (Dhirren) to keep a better eye on the opposite side of the road.”
‘Not a day goes by that we don’t talk about Charlie, that we don’t talk about him together, there isn’t a day that we don’t shed a tear thinking about our son and how much we miss him. ‘ Mr Stevens told the Adelaide District Court on Thursday
The court was also told that Randhawa had accelerated towards Charlie and his friends knowing they were or had just been on the road.
Randhawa was not drunk at the time of the accident, the court was told.
Abbey asked Judge Tracey to suspend any sentence he might impose on Randhawa, arguing that his youth, good character, early pleas and deep, genuine remorse made him a good prospect for rehabilitation.
“His future and that of the community will be better if he is not imprisoned,” he said.
He also noted that he could face deportation to Kuala Lumpur if he were jailed, even though he has lived much of his life in Australia, where most of his family connections are.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Martin Hinton KC, argued that a prison sentence was appropriate to maintain a principle of “general deterrence”.
“General deterrence should make drivers take into account the safety and rights of other road users, including pedestrians, crossing the road,” he said.
He said the case was “unique” because of the widespread public response to Charlie’s death and Stevens’ position as police commissioner.
In his victim impact statement, Commissioner Stevens and his wife Emma (both pictured) spoke of their deep and abiding heartache at losing Charlie.
“It’s unique because Charlie Stevens’ death has affected the community at large,” he said.
‘The pain has been expressed widely and deeply. In some sectors it has been expressed inappropriately.
‘An expression of how this type of crime can affect the community reflects the impact it has on the community’s sense of safety.
‘The son of the commissioner, with all the power and strength that the commissioner has, could not be protected.
“That moved us all. The court’s role is to restore, to the best of its ability, the sense of security that the community expects in its traffic laws and their enforcement.
‘And that is now proven in a deterrent sentence. A sentence that makes offenders understand what the community’s expectations are.’
Judge Tracey has set October 22 for sentencing.
The Stevens family left the courthouse in waiting cars after the presentations.
Randhawa refused to answer questions as he left court.