Heartbreak as Charlie Stevens’ family confronts the teen driver responsible for his hit-and-run death: ‘Do I hate you? I absolutely do’
South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has stood before the young man who struck and caused the death of his son Charlie in an accident and spoke of his family’s deep and enduring pain.
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.
“There isn’t a day that goes by when we don’t talk about Charlie, when we don’t talk about him together, there isn’t a day when we don’t shed a tear when we think about our son and how much we miss him. Mr. Stevens said.
‘Charlie would have turned 19 on April 28 this year, but instead of celebrating it took all our efforts to get through the day.
“And we know we will carry that sadness with us for the rest of our lives.”
Charlie suffered irreversible brain damage in the crash and died at Flinders Medical Center at the age of 18.
Randhawa has pleaded guilty to driving without due care and leaving the scene of an accident after causing death.
The Stevens family entered the court and sat quietly while Randhawa stood before them in the dock.
SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens arrives at court with his family on Thursday
Charlie Stevens was farewelled by hundreds of mourners at the Adelaide Oval in November
Mr. Stevens looked directly at Randhawa before speaking.
“We recognize that you have taken responsibility for what you did and we are sure this has been difficult for you,” he told the young man.
“But you 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 said she felt ‘physically ill’ after receiving the call from her mother Emma telling her that Charlie had been hit by a car.
‘Do I hate you? Yes, I absolutely do, but what I hate most is what you took from me and my family,” she said.
‘Do I often think about you as a person? No, you’re not worth it.
‘You took so much from us in a split second, a stupid decision. It is Charlie’s heart that I will miss most. He was kind, inclusive of everyone, a pillar of strength.”
Randhawa apologized to the Stevens family.
‘You are always in my thoughts, just like Charlie, and you will always be. “There’s so much I’d like to say, but most of all I want to say, I’m sorry, and I’m sorry Charlie,” he said.
Randhawa’s mother Amreeta Stara cried as she expressed her dejection.
Dhirren Randhawa, 19, and his mother Amreeta arrive at the court on Thursday
Mr Stevens said his son’s 19th birthday had been a difficult day (Charlie Stevens is pictured)
“Words cannot adequately convey the sadness and regret I feel for this devastating incident,” she said.
She spoke of the “emotional and mental turmoil” that has gripped her family since the crash which has “traumatically changed our lives forever.”
Judge Joanne Tracey will consider an appropriate sentence for Randhawa, who is on bail.
Randhawa punched Charlie overnight while the teenager was celebrating Schoolies with friends at Goolwa Beach, south of Adelaide.
The court was told Randhawa accelerated just before the crash, but not to the point of exceeding the speed limit.
Jane Abbey KC, appearing for Randhawa, said the parties accepted that “Mr Randhawa should have paid more attention to any risk that could have arisen from the darkness on the other side of the road.”
“And it was his (Dhirren’s) job to look more closely at the other side of the road.”
“There isn’t a day that goes by when we don’t talk about Charlie, when we don’t talk about him together, there isn’t a day when we don’t shed a tear when we think about our son and how much we miss him. Mr Stevens told the Adelaide court on Thursday
The court was also told Randhawa accelerated towards Charlie and his friends, knowing they were or had just been on the roadway.
Randhawa was not drunk at the time of the crash, the court was told.
Ms Abbey asked Judge Tracey to suspend any sentence she might impose on Randhawa, arguing that his youth, good character, early pleas and deep and genuine remorse made him a good prospect for rehabilitation.
“His future and that of the community are better if he is not incarcerated,” she said.
She also noted that he could be deported to Kuala Lumpur if jailed, even though he has lived much of his life in Australia, where most of his family ties are based.
Director of Public Prosecutions Martin Hinton KC argued that a prison sentence was appropriate to uphold the principle of ‘general deterrence’.
“General deterrence should encourage motorists to consider the safety and rights of other road users on the road, including pedestrians crossing the road,” he said.
He said the case was “unique” because of the widespread public reaction to Charlie’s death and Mr Stevens’ position as police commissioner.
In their victim impact statement, Commissioner Stevens and his wife Emma (both pictured) spoke of their deep and persistent anguish at the loss of Charlie
“It’s unique because the death of Charlie Stevens has affected the community broadly,” he said.
‘The sadness has been expressed widely and deeply. In some quarters this has been wrongly expressed.
“An expression of how this type of offense can affect the community reflects the impact it has on the community’s sense of safety.
“The commissioner’s son, with all the might and power the commissioner has, could not be protected.
‘That affected us all. The court has a role in restoring as much as possible the sense of safety that the community expects in its traffic laws and in enforcing them.
‘And that is now being tested in a deterrent sentence. A punishment that makes it clear to perpetrators what the expectations of the community are.’
Judge Tracey set her sentencing date for October 22.
The Stevens family left the court after the submissions into waiting cars.
Randhawa refused to answer questions as he left the court.