South Australia’s police commissioner has given an emotional statement to the district court about the loss of his youngest son in a hit-and-run crash. He told the young driver responsible his son's death during last year's schoolies had taken all the colour from the family's lives.
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00:00The Stephens family walked into the district court to face an almost impossible task, explaining
00:08their heartbreak over the death of their son, Charlie Stephens, who was struck by a car
00:14while celebrating schoolies at Goolwa, south of Adelaide, last November.
00:19The driver, 19-year-old Diren Randhawa, admitted to aggravated careless driving and leaving
00:25an accident scene.
00:26Fighting back tears, Police Commissioner Grant Stephens told the court,
00:30Not a single day goes by that we don't think about Charlie.
00:34There's not a day where we don't shed a tear thinking about our son and how much we miss him.
00:39He said losing Charlie as he entered adulthood had taken all the colour from their lives.
00:45Charlie's sister Sophie Treglone told the court of his many talents.
00:49He was a brilliant painter and drawer.
00:52He was a master of the egg and bacon sandwich.
00:55But it's Charlie's heart that I will miss the most.
00:58He was kind, inclusive of all and a pillar of strength.
01:02Director of Public Prosecutions Martin Hinton called for Randhawa to be jailed, saying this
01:08case was unusual because it had impacted the broader community.
01:12He said it had affected people because the might and power of the Police Commissioner
01:16was not enough to protect Charlie.
01:18Randhawa read a letter of apology to the court expressing his regret and remorse.
01:24His lawyers asked for his sentence to be suspended or served at home because he is still young
01:28and has no criminal record.
01:31The court also heard the teenager may lose his visa if jailed.
01:35Randhawa will be sentenced later this month.