College denies team members covered up crash

Bethlehem College says two team members did not deliberately withheld information from Kenyan police following a fatal mini-van crash.

Board chairman Greg Hollister-Jones said the context of the "horrendous situation" following the crash needed to be considered. Allegations of a cover-up did not take the chaotic situation into account.

"There was one adult from New Zealand not injured who was having to deal with deaths, injuries and hospital issues at a time where everyone was spread through the hospital," he said.

When asked whether this adult knew who was driving the mini-van when it crashed, Mr Hollister-Jones said people were "rushing to judgement" and needed to understand the chaos that was thrown upon that person.

Originally, Kenyan man Christopher Mmata, who died in the January 15 crash, was named as the mini-van driver. Tauranga anaesthetist Brian Johnston, his wife Grace, and 19-year-old former student Caitlin Dickson were also killed in the accident.

Former student David Fellows admitted to being the driver but only after the group arrived back in New Zealand. Mr Fellows and one Kenyan local were thought to be the only people who knew who was driving but it has since emerged two more people knew Mr Fellows was driving the van.

Mr Hollister-Jones said he did not know what the two students who knew about the driver swap had told Kenyan police.

The college launched its own investigation which focussed on what happened before the crash but were advised that what happened after should be dealt with by the authorities. The report was yet to be viewed by the full board of trustees. Mr Hollister-Jones said the school had passed on its information about the driver swap to Kenyan police but had not heard back.