blenheim@embroidme.co.nz speedysigns.co.nz • embroidme.co.nz 49 Main Street, Blenheim 03 572 8075
Wednesday 8 May 2024 Wenerei 8 Mei 2024
Hospice help
The power of pink
Mila’s mission
Stolen car tragedy Page 8
Page 12
Page 21
TRACY NEAL
Allister Christie died in a vehicle accident in March 2022. Photo: Supplied
LOCALLY OWNED BY TOP SOUTH MEDIA
When Allister Christie spotted his stolen Mercedes being driven by another man he decided to give chase - but soon after both men ended up in a river after a high-speed crash. While Kyle James Clarke, managed to escape from the stolen Mercedes and swim to safety, Christie wasn’t so fortunate. It wasn’t until the next day that the 70-year-old’s body was found submerged inside the car he had been driving. Now Clarke is on trial, accused of driving in a manner that led to Christie’s death in Blenheim. The 31-year-old has admitted entering Christie’s home, taking the keys and then taking the Mercedes on March 12, 2022, but has denied charges linked to the circumstances in which Christie died the following day. Clarke appeared in the Blenheim District Court yesterday for the start of a judge-alone trial, in which he is defending charges of reckless driving causing death, dangerous driving causing death (in the alternative) and failing to stop to ascertain injury or death. The hearing began with a waiata and acknowledgement from Judge Jo Rielly of Christie’s sudden and tragic death. Crown prosecutor Jackson Webber said a primary trial issue was likely to be whether Clarke’s alleged high-speed and reckless driving caused Christie’s death. “The Crown’s position is that there is no dispute that Mr Christie was chasing Mr Clarke who was in a stolen blue car and that Mr Christie was wanting to get that back.” The defence case is focused on causative events and the moments leading up to the collision,
and whether the cause of Christie’s tragic death was speed, which was “exponentially different in character” to his driving up to that point. Defence lawyer Tony Bamford said his case would also explore whether Christie’s death might have been from a medical event, and that he appeared not to have been wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. The Stolen Car Christie’s wife, Heather, described him in her evidence as a peaceful man and if he had seen his stolen car he would have wanted to sort out who had done it, and given them a “telling off ”. Webber said that around 8am on March 12, a Saturday, Clarke entered the Christies’ Blenheim home through a partially open side door which Allister had left ajar for the family dog while he went to work. Heather was upstairs in bed. Clarke took items from the house including a set of car keys to their blue Mercedes Benz and then drove off in it. He was seen by police less than an hour later parked outside a Blenheim address. The police recognised Clarke and attempted to stop him, but he drove off at speed, overtaking vehicles as he fled, so they did not pursue him. Christie was advised of the incident later that day and was said to have expressed frustration at what had occurred.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
marlboroughapp.co.nz