South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens and his wife Emma have spoken out about the harrowing moment their 18-year-old son was murdered.
Charlie Stevens, 18, was waiting for a bus to go to Schoolies celebrations with friends when he was hit by a car driven by Dhirren Randhawa in Goolwa, south of Adelaide, on November 17 last year.
He was rushed to hospital in critical condition but died the next day from a severe brain injury, surrounded by his family.
Charlie’s life support was switched off a day after the accident, making him South Africa’s 101st road fatality of the year.
“It was nice spending time with him, but the hardest thing was leaving him for the last time,” Stevens said.
Mrs. Stevens shared her final words with her youngest son.
“I just said, ‘I love you. You’re my baby and you always will be,'” she said.
They also revealed that the 18-year-old careless driver who killed their beloved son Charlie has written an apology to the grieving parents.
Charlie Stevens with his father, South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens. Photo: provided
Charlie’s parents have received a letter of apology from their son’s killer, Dhirren Randhawa, ahead of his sentencing next month.
Ms Stevens said they appreciate Randhawa’s genuine apology during this difficult time.
“And he wrote it, and those are the words of an 18-year-old,” she told 60 Minutes on Sunday.
‘I don’t think they sat him down and told him what to write.
“I think it’s him. In fact, I’m not so sure Charlie would be able to write something as good as that.”
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens and his wife Emma say they received a letter of apology from their son’s killer. Photo: NewsWire / Roy VanDerVegt
In June, Randhawa pleaded guilty to an aggravated charge of driving without due care and leaving the scene of an accident after causing death.
“We are grateful that Dhirren has pleaded guilty,” Stevens said.
We believe that this obviously gives us an idea of their acceptance, of their responsibility.
“But I think with what remains to be seen in the court process, we’ll just let it play out.”
Dhirren Randhawa has since pleaded guilty to reckless driving causing death. Photo: NewsWire / Roy VanDerVegt
Ms Stevens said she felt a sense of “sadness” and compassion for Randhawa because “her life has been changed forever” since the fatal accident that killed her youngest son.
“You know he’s going to have to live with this all his life,” she said.
‘I mean, I think being a parent, you know, being a mother of an 18-year-old, is not that smart.
“How do you know they are 18 years old and I look at it And I think it could have been Charlie too.
Charlie died from his injuries in hospital after being hit by a car while out with friends celebrating Schoolies at Goolwa Beach on November 17.
His death shocked the state and hundreds of people attended his funeral at the Adelaide Oval.
Charlie Stevens was hit by a car and killed during a school celebration. Photo: provided
Charlie Stevens was the youngest of five children. Photo provided
As South Australia’s top police officer, Mr Stevens said he never thought his family would be the ones to hear the news that a loved one had been murdered.
“I always thought that delivering a death message was the hardest thing police officers had to do,” he said.
“And as much as you identify with the families that you give that information to, you have no idea or appreciation for how tragic it is and how heartbreaking it is.
“You never think it’s going to happen to you.”
