‘Do I hate you? I absolutely do’: Charlie Stevens’ family confronts the careless driver responsible for his death
Charlie Stevens’ family has confronted Dhirren Singh Randhawa – the young driver responsible for the death of the SA police commissioner’s son – in an emotional court hearing.
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The careless driver who caused the death of Charlie Stevens “cannot possibly understand” what he has taken from the young man’s family, one of whom “absolutely” hates him and feels he’s not worth “being thought of as a person”, a court has heard.
In an emotional District Court hearing in Thursday, Charlie’s parents – Police Commissioner Grant Stevens and his wife Emma – said they would never forget their beloved child, and Dhirren Singh Randhawa should not either.
“You cannot possibly understand what you have taken from us ... we cannot begin to describe the loss and, even if we could, you would not truly appreciate what the words mean,” Mr Stevens said.
Charlie’s sister, Sophie Tregloan, said she could not understand how a young man with aspirations of being a doctor could leave her brother “on the side of the road, dying”.
“Do I hate you? Yes, I absolutely do – but what I hate most is what you’ve taken from myself and my family,” she said.
“Do I think of you as a person often? No – you’re not worth it.”
Randhawa, meanwhile, gave a public apology for his crimes, saying that learning Charlie’s life support had been switched off was the hardest moment of his life.
His mother also apologised, promising her son would never forget Charlie and was determined to atone for his actions.
Randhawa’s counsel asked he receive a suspended or home detention sentence, arguing his youth and “distinct lack of criminogenic factors” made him very “different” to other road offenders.
They also said he faced possible deportation to Kuala Lumpur in addition to any penalty imposed by the court.
But Director of Public Prosecutions Martin Hinton KC said immediate imprisonment was the only option, given the gravity of Randhawa’s offending.
READ STEVENS FAMILY’S WORDS HERE
IN FULL: RANDHAWA, MOTHER’S APOLOGY
“The commissioner’s son, with all the might and power the commissioner has, could not be protected ... that touched us all,” he said.
“The court has a role in restoring, as best it can, the sense of safety the community expects in its road traffic laws.”
CHARLIE’S FAMILY TELLS OF TORMENT
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens was the first to give a victim impact statement on Thursday, on behalf of himself and his wife.
She stood with him at the bar table, and both faced Randhawa as Mr Stevens spoke.
His voice broke several times, and he fought back visible tears, as he spoke of how deeply loved and missed Charlie was, and the catastrophic impact of his death.
“You cannot possibly understand what you have taken from us ... we cannot begin to describe the loss and, even if we could, you would not truly appreciate what the words mean,” he said.
“Losing Charlie, just as he was becoming a man, has taken so much of the colour out of our lives.”
He said the family would forever feel the presence of “an empty chair” at all family gatherings rather than celebrating their successes or Charlie’s milestones.
He said certain songs triggered tears, as did his two-year-old grandson “calling out” for Charlie “when he sees a photo of him”.
“You cannot possibly comprehend how much pain you have caused so many people – pain that does not go away,” he said.
“We acknowledge that you have taken responsibility for what you have done, and we are sure this has been difficult for you, but you get to move on.
“The people close to you still have you in their lives ... we don’t have Charlie.
“We want you to remember Charlie and how your actions have taken him from us. Now all we have are memories of him, and that’s not enough.”
Mrs Tregloan echoed her father’s words and mourned the loss of “the little brother everyone wanted” and she was “lucky” to have had.
“Dhirren, it’s not just the impact your actions have ... it’s now 11 months down the track and the pain is even stronger,” she said.
“The shock is starting to wear off, it’s more pain and anger knowing we will never see our little brother again ... your actions have hurt us in so many more ways than you think.”
She said no mother should ever have to lose a son, nor discuss with a two-year-old the death of their uncle.
“You have taken so much from us in a split-second, dumb decision,” she said.
“Who would have thought your stupid and ignorant decision could leave two families in a world of pain?
“Do I hate you? Yes, I absolutely do – but what I hate most is what you have taken from myself and my family.
“Do I think of you as a person often? No – you are not worth it.”
Mr Hinton told the court Charlie’s other siblings had opted not to give public statements, but that was in no way an indication of their lack of grief.
DHIRREN SINGH RANDHAWA’S APOLOGY
Randhawa, who faces a maximum 15-year prison term, publicly apologised for his offending and said “everyone impacted” by Charlie’s death was “constantly in my thoughts”.
“I think about the impact losing Charlie has had and try my hardest to empathise with you,” he said.
“I know hearing Charlie’s life support being switched off was the most difficult thing I’ve heard in my life … I can only imagine how you felt.
“You’re always on my mind. So is Charlie. And will be forever.”
He said seeing Commissioner Stevens and his wife, Emma, “on TV talking about Charlie” had “brought out deep sadness within me”.
“There’s so much I’d like to say, but mostly I want to say I’m sorry – and I’m sorry (to) Charlie.”
THE CRIMINAL CHARGES
Randhawa, 19, of Encounter Bay, was originally charged with causing Charlie’s death by dangerous driving following the incident in November last year.
He instead pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of aggravated driving without due care, and to leaving the scene of an accident scene after causing death.
Expert reports, including toxicology and crash reconstruction, played a key role in the resolution of the case through plea bargain.
Though the driving offence carries a maximum 12-month prison term, leaving an accident scene has a maximum penalty of 15 years’ jail and licence disqualification for a minimum of 10 years.
Randhawa’s apology, on Thursday, was his second – following his guilty pleas, he provided Charlie’s family with a letter of apology via his counsel.
RANDHAWA’S MOTHER SAYS SORRY
On Thursday, the court was also provided with a letter from Randhawa’s mother, Amreeta Stara, in which she expressed her “deepest remorse and sincere apologies”.
“I assure you that Dhirren and I are aware of the irreversible impact this incident has had on all those affected, and we are truly sorry for the unimaginable pain you are experiencing,” she wrote.
“I know that words cannot undo what has already happened, but I hope to provide some form of solace by assuring you that we have and are grieving with you.”
Ms Stara said her family would neither move on from, nor forget, the offending – and nor would Randhawa.
“Being the empathetic person that he is, Dhirren has spent many hours and sleepless nights reflecting on what has happened … he has pondered on all the whys and what-ifs,” she wrote.
“Dhirren lost his best friend to leukaemia two years ago, and he found it unbearable to witness the pain he saw in his friend’s father.
“(He sees) the same pain in Grant Stevens – only this time, he feels responsible for it.”
DEFENCE LAWYER’S SUBMISSIONS
Jane Abbey KC, for Randhawa, said her client accepted responsibility for Charlie’s death and his own actions that night.
She said he was unaffected by alcohol or any other form of intoxication at the time.
“What is accepted is that Randhawa ought to have kept better attention to any risk that might have presented itself out of the darkness on the other side of the road,” she said.
“It was incumbent on him to be keeping a better lookout to the opposite side of the road.”
She said Randhawa drove away from the impact in “shock and disbelief” to call his mother and ask what to do, and she “immediately” told him to go to police.
“He then drove toward Victor Harbor, saw a police car on the road and pulled his car over,” she said.
“What’s clear from the police officers is that by the time they had done a U-turn, Randhawa was already out of his car and was walking toward them, announcing who he was and what had just happened.”
Ms Abbey said Randhawa’s family had received death threats via social media following the incident – one of which involved a firearm and was “serious” enough to warrant police intervention.
She commended SA Police for immediately stepping in to ensure her client’s safety, and that of his family.
She said a psychological report had found Randhawa to be without any criminogenic factors, which made him “different” to other road offenders and spoke well for his prospects of rehabilitation.
“There are no underlying personality disorders, no underlying history of trauma, no addiction problems, no behavioural issues of any kind,” she said.
“There is deep and genuine remorse on his part ... the letter (of apology) was brief but genuine and in his own words.”
Ms Abbey said there was a possibility, under federal law, that Randhawa would be deported at the conclusion of a prison sentence, while a suspended sentence would spare him that fate.
THE PROSECUTION SUBMISSIONS
In his submissions on sentence, Mr Hinton agreed there were many favourable factors about Randhawa that supported a suspended or home detention sentence.
However, he said none of them offset the gravity of his offending, nor the need for immediate imprisonment.
“His failure to meet (the legal standard for driving) is that he accelerated toward Charlie Stevens and his friends knowing they were on, or had just been on, the roadway,” he said.
“We do not say he was exceeding the speed limit but, when he was accelerating toward people ... he was a risk to them.
“Moving across the middle of the road, in an effort to avoid those on his left, did not ameliorate the risk – it exacerbated it, because of the presence of Charlie Stevens on his right.”
He said the mass public outcry over Charlie’s death demonstrated the clear need to protect the community and condemn such driving.
“The commissioner’s son, with all the might and power the commissioner has, could not be protected ... that touched us all,” he said.
“The court has a role in restoring, as best it can, the sense of safety the community expects in its road traffic laws.”
Judge Joanne Tracey remanded Randhawa on continuing bail for sentencing later this month.
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