Pregnant mum Renee Percy killed in double-fatal Christchurch crash

Thursday, 6 December 2018

Two people have died after a crash on the corner of Breezes Rd and Cuthberts Rd in Aranui, Christchurch.

The eldest son of a pregnant woman who died in a double fatal crash is angry the speeding driver didn't stop for police.

Renee Percy, 35, and Dennis Tunnicliffe, 25, died in the early hours of Wednesday morning when the car, travelling at more than twice the speed limit, smashed into a power pole.

The noise of the skidding car and the final fatal impact at 2.30am woke neighbours at the corner of Breezes Rd and Cuthberts Rd in Aranui, Christchurch.

Renee Percy died in a double-fatal crash in Christchurch.

The sole survivor yelled at police to help Percy, his pregnant partner, but it was too late.

**READ MORE:

Dennis Tunnicliffe as pictured on fundraising page Givealittle. He was the driver and died at the scene of the crash along with passenger Renee Percy.

* Driver killed in double-fatal was going more than twice speed limit

* Deadly crash driver's image suppressed for safety reasons

The car crashed into a power pole at high speed. One passenger survived.

* Lower Hutt police pursuit ends in car on its side, injuring three passenger

A fleeing driver and his female passenger are dead after their car hit a power-pole at speed in Christchurch less than a minute after police abandoned their pursuit.

* Number of people being killed during police chases on rise**

Percy's eldest son, Jacob Percy, told Stuff on Thursday he blamed Tunnicliffe for his mother's death.

Two people died in a crash in Christchurch shortly after a police ended a pursuit.

'He was the one fully in control of the car. He could've stopped and pulled over for police. The police didn't make it hard for him, he decided to go.'

The 18-year-old, who had been in the custody of Child, Youth and Family (now Oranga Tamariki) for most of his life, said he last saw his mother about a month ago.

'She was in a good place.'

He planned to see her again in about two weeks time for Christmas to give her a new car.

'I just wanted to let her know I love her.'

The car was speeding well in excess of the 50kmh speed limit when police began a pursuit.

He warned against other drivers thinking of fleeing police.

'Don't do it, you put not only yourself and others at risk but you can rip families apart.'

Workers repair the damaged pole while the wrecked car sits on a trailer nearby.

An acquaintance of Percy's said she had several children and was good to them, but Percy also mixed with some 'undesirable people'.

A Givealittle page created for Tunnicliffe by a relative said: 'The money is to help cover funeral cost and this hard time for my family. Any little bit will help, rest easy big bro.'

JOYRIDING SPREE

Tunnicliffe was jailed for seven months in 2013 after a six-day joyriding spree around Christchurch in other people's cars.

Tunnicliffe, then 18, and an associate took nine vehicles, almost all Subarus, over six days in 2012, attempted to take another and unlawfully interfered with another car.

Tunnicliffe admitted all the charges as well as a breach of bail. He had previous convictions for receiving, theft, burglary, possession of a firearm and being an unlicensed driver.

Some of the offending took place while Tunnicliffe was doing a sentence of community work.

In jailing him Judge Noel Walsh told the then unemployed youth: 'Your future is entirely in your hands. Unless you want to waste the best years of your life sitting behind steel bars and concrete walls with dodgy cellmates, you know what's got to happen – you have got to make changes.'

Tunnicliffe wrote to the judge, saying he had learnt his lesson and had not enjoyed being in jail and away from his family.

He wrote: 'I never thought I would come to jail. I apologise to the people whose cars I damaged. If I get home, I'll be good, Your Honour. I want a chance to prove myself.'

Canterbury Metro Superintendent Lane Todd said police had tried to stop the car on Breezes Rd because the driver was speeding, but also for reasons he would not detail.

Stuff understands Tunnicliffe was speeding at over 100kmh in the 50kmh zone.

Police followed the car for less than a minute but abandoned the chase due to the dangerous driving.

Less than a minute later, police found the car crashed into a power pole.

Todd said it was 'extremely surprising someone survived' the 'high-impact' crash.