Cobie levi detroit stringer

He loved life and life loved him. Stringer was the third youngest in a large family and is survived by 12 brothers and sisters. Family members arrived at the scene after the crash to bless the site, and another ceremony was expected to be held at the site today. Kerrisk said the weather was clear at the time of the accident and early indicators, made by serious-crash unit investigators, were that speed and alcohol may have been involved.

Otago community mourns young achiever. He could not be resuscitated at the scene. A blood sample taken from Roberts five hours after the crash revealed a blood-alcohol level of 68mg.

The level at the time of the crash was estimated to be between mg and mg, well above the legal limit of 80mg, Judge Crosbie said. A serious crash unit investigator estimated Roberts' speed would have been between kmh and kmh.

Crown counsel Richard Smith said the maximum penalty for dangerous driving causing death was doubled in from five to 10 years' jail. This was ''far from a momentary lapse of judgement'' Mr Smith said, describing Roberts' driving as ''aggressive''. There was no victim impact statement from Mr Stringer's family as it was ''far too hard for them to do'' and they felt a deep sense of grief, he said.

Roberts had lost his driver's licence after receiving five speeding infringements in nine months, in and that driving history was an aggravating feature. Counsel for Roberts, Stuart Blake, of Auckland, said the defendant would have to ''live for the rest of his life knowing that his actions led to the death of a young man, a young man he called a friend''.

Although the defendant had consumed alcohol, there was ''no evidence before the court that alcohol was a causative factor'', Mr Blake said. Judge Crosbie disagreed and said if a person had alcohol in their blood, it could not be ruled out as a contributing factor. Mr Stringer was not wearing a seat belt but Judge Crosbie said the driver had a responsibility to ensure his passengers buckled up.

Mr Blake said Roberts had no previous convictions and was a young man of otherwise good character. He was running the family farm, as both his parents were receiving intensive treatment for cancer, but their prognoses were unknown. If Roberts was jailed, it would ''place his parents in a precarious situation as well''. The injured were taken by ambulance to the Ranfurly Medical Centre to be treated for minor to moderate injuries and then transferred to Dunedin Hospital for overnight observation.

He was also a former head boy at the Maniototo Area School and a keen sportsman. Yesterday his brother Jay said Cobie had a passion for shearing, Maori carving and art. After attending Otago Polytechnic for a year he returned to the area to follow in his family's footsteps and started a shearing apprenticeship.

His mother, Wendy, said "he was a darling soul, he loved life and life loved him".