Heartbroken Police Commissioner opens up about son‘s tragic death | 60 Minutes Australia

coming up you were a force of Nature and we'll never forget your cheeky smart the police commissioner's teenage son mowed down in a hit and run my baby and you SW but from despair comes inspiration and compassion this is not a tough love experience this is genuinely supporting these kids to find their own way that's next on 60 Minutes it's an awful part of the job but as South Australia's Police Commissioner Grant Stevens is expert at ring bad news to families who suffer terrible tragedies last November though he was the one to get the call no one wants to receive his youngest child Charlie had become the victim of a hit and run crash the 18-year-old died in hospital 24 hours later tonight Grant and his wife Emma want to talk from the heart their story is incredibly sad but their memories of Charlie are at times also very funny however what makes this couple truly extraordinary is their compassion especially for the young driver who killed their son I'm writing this sitting in a bedroom with dirty clothes on the floor an unmade bed wardrobe doors left open and a row of skateboards leaning on the wall it is a mess and it's perfect this is where 101 lived in the first painful days after the death of his 18-year-old Son charlie South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens wrote this tribute to him Char 101 arrived on the 28th of April 2005 and changed our lives forever the last of five he was different cheeky intense and funny a lovable rat bag from the moment he could [Music] talk Charlie was the 101st person in South Australia to die on the roads last year after being hit by a car a death toll shared by too many you were a force of Nature and will'll never forget your beautiful cheeky disarming smile 7 months after losing your son how has your life been shaped how do you live around that that hole um it's just different now yeah things are different um well we're trying really hard to get on with life but there's always this sense of um not having Charlie there's there's a gap um he's always here though like you know everywhere you look there's bit of [Music] charie and is that a comfort yes or no I was going to say sometimes [Music] how many times you think Charlie jumped off this JY the death of Charlie Emma and Grant's youngest child rocked South Australians he used to do you think he did yeah they came he came down here all the time while they may not have known Charlie it seems many felt a connection to the 18-year-old through his popular and everpresent father as police commissioner Grant Stevens appeared daily on their screens guiding them through the worst of Co to isolate and get a test and contact sa health for further instruction but in November last year he was the one in need Charlie and his friends had traveled an hour and a half from Adelaide and were staying at the Beachside town of gulwa the first year Apprentice Carpenter was there to celebrate schoolies with his friends who' just graduated [Music] it was around 9900 p.m. and Charlie and his mates were waiting here for a shuttle bus to take them to a nearby schoolies Gathering when they hailed a passing car instead to try and get a lift but on stopping the driver judge he couldn't fit them all in his small car the then 18-year-old continued on before making the Fateful decision to do a U-turn a teenager is unconscious ious having been hit by a car on identifying the teenager as Charlie the news became instantly personal to south Australia police The Pedestrian was 18-year-old Charlie Stevens son of commissioner Grant Stevens and his wife Emma and instantly the commissioner's position and power were stripped bare he joined the ranks of a grieving dad and it's as parents in mourning that Grant and Emma are talking tonight as a police officer throughout your career you would have seen the impact of loss on families yeah I'd imagine you would have seen how life changes in a moment for those families when you deliver that news um I always thought that delivering a death message uh was the hardest thing police officers have to do um and as much as you empathize with the families that you give that information to you have no concept no appreciation of just how tragic it is and how it just ripped your guts out had you never expected to be one of those families I'd imagine no you never think it's going to happen to you happens to other people you see it you hear it [Music] M can you take me to the moment when you were told um it was uh Friday and we got a phone call and I I honestly don't remember the chronology and who rang but the next thing we were at the uh the flenders hospital and we saw Charlie and we saw them working on him after he was flown in from go and I think when you when we saw stra away and uh it was a short time after that um we had our family in a private room and they came and told us that uh he had a um uh a brain injury that he would not recover from um nons survivable brain injury yeah now that's just uh it's devastating do you remember what you said to Charlie yeah some things I won't repeat because I was cross with him um I just I think I said I love you you're my baby and you always you and it was good good to spend time with him but the the hardest thing was leaving for the last time their loss is unimaginable but even at their lowest Emma and Grant felt sympathy for Duren Randa the driver who hit Charlie 18 at the time and a PE plater there was no alcohol or drugs in his system Randa was initially charged with causing death by dangerous driving aggravated driving without due care leaving the scene of a crash after death and failing to truly answer questions what can you tell me of what you understand happened I don't even think we know you know I don't Char was hit by car and he's not here anymore we don't have him we don't we don't know we haven't spoken to the boys that were there with him about that you know we've spent a lot of time with those boys but we haven't spoken about about that was there anger hatred at all um there was anger I don't think there was wasn't hatred um there was anger there sadness you know sadness for the driver do you mean yeah yeah because his life has changed now forever as well you know he's going to have to live with this his whole entire life the compassion and sympathy you feel was that hard to find did you have to reach for that I don't think so I think being a parent you know being being a mom of an 18year old they're not that smart like you know they're 18 and I look at it and I think it also could have been Charlie the driver has entered into a plea deal admitting to a charge of aggravated driving without due care and leaving the scene of a crash the ppl's future will become clearer next month when he again faces court for sentencing can you tell me how you do feel about a plea bargain being reached um you we're grateful that Duren has pleaded guilty um we think that's obviously it gives us some understanding of his acceptance of his responsibility but I think with what is left to occur in the the court process we'll just let that unfold by pleading guilty to lesser charges Daran Randa has helped the family avoid the pain of a trial he's also written them a letter of apology we can't reveal what he says as it's yet to be seen by the sentencing judge emeran Grant can only tell us their response to it we appreciate we appreciate the fact that he's given us that apology and he's written it and know that's words from an 18-year-old so what you mean is this is genuine yeah I believe it [Music] is I don't think he's been sat down and told what to write I think that's him in fact not so sure charlie'd be able to write something quite as good as [Laughter] that it's nice to see you find humor in things well can't spend all the time crying these grieving parents also take strength in the fact Charlie was an organ donor and in death gave the gift of life to seven people and Charlie did ask when he applied for his license yeah what's this organ donation thing you like that yeah yeah pretty much and we explained it and you know it was just for him it was simple a Nob brain he take the box that's what you do yeah what is it like for you to learn that he does live on in this way hope Bitter Sweet yeah it's um you know the fact that out of a tragic loss other people get to live Better Lives and spend more time with their families that's that's nice but that's at a cost a cost to us we have had so many cards and messages from so many different families everybody knew Charlie he was known for his big heart and his big smile the response to Charlie's death has been extraordinary nearly 2,000 mourners attended his memorial service we had missed you every day since we said goodbye and we will always miss you we will love you for real Charlie Boy now as you'll see that grief has been transformed into a legacy that is changing hundreds of young lives oh so you're not going to have a go no way I'm I can't describe it like okay it's crazy how much it's changed our lives [Applause] awesome the stunning yet Stark Flinders Rangers in South Australia is offering a new dawn to some of the state's most troubled teenagers it's a gift in part born out of tragedy suffered by police commissioner Grant Stevens and his wife Emma Emma how would you like to be brought out here and and dumped on the side of the road and told to Trek for 100 kilomet oh I think I'd have a breakdown absolute breakdown there is no way I could do what these kids have been doing it may feel a million miles away from Adelaide but Emma and Grant are here to see the work done in their son's honor 18-year-old Charlie died 7 months ago after being hit by a car so L when she's ready she's going to step out onto the wire us since then nearly $220,000 has been raised in his name for operation Flinders an Outback Therapy Program that helps kids at risk we are talking about some of the most deprived marginalized kids out there and that leads to them being tough nuts some of them AR they they hard cases y but it's not about breaking them is it no no it's this is not this is not a tough love experience this is genuinely supporting these kids to find their own way Grant is on the board of operation Flinders which has been running for 33 years and in that time with an army of volunteers has helped 10,000 at risk teens they're predominant City kids you share a lot often victims of domestic violence caught up in drug abuse and juvenile crime the trees are so beautiful over eight days they Tre 100 km through this harsh Australian Outback sleeping and living rough CEO David walk says with each step they test their limits that's it now backwards down build resilience and learn to trust and rely on each other they are coming from homes that are experiencing Financial challenge they are in in situations not of their choosing so so there's situations that that you wouldn't want your children involved in and I certainly wouldn't want my children involved onav and that's that's our sweet spot we want to work with those young people and do everything we can to give them a different perspective on their future it's over here oh Jesus taking in the view it is beautiful determined to help as many kids as possible in Charlie's name operation Flinders is proposing to add a hair raising flying fox to the program there's been some preliminary investigation of this site where they'll be anchoring the cable here at the top of this this Cliff face and it'll run down through over the creek bed for about 120 M so that's that's The Hope um if if everything works out that's what we'll be doing what do you think Charlie would make of it he'd be the first one in line a bit of a risk taker yeah he he liked the adventure yeah what about you Mom H he's better than me there's not a chance the benefits of this adventure therapy have not been lost on 19-year-old Bella turn around me suffering anxiety and a fractured home life she first joined operation Flinders as the participant good job and is now back as a mentor just the volunteers like I've never had people like this in my life really we feel very secure and we feel heard um not a lot of us have felt that in our lives and they they're just there for us whenever we need it so heard safe and nurtured is that a good way to wrap it up definitely yeah definitely what and you got all let inate days that's what seems incredible to me yeah it was the eight days was hard but when you're around a group of people like isolated with them you just form bonds that you never thought of you would have you know Charlie he had an impact on so many so many people um but this is a way that he will continue to have a really positive impact on kids who will never even know about him so it's it's a good thing for this place is considered a healing place isn't it for for trouble tains does it help you here uh that's a hard question to answer I think I I think so and it's not about this place it's just we have sad moments every day those sad moments are part of a full and busy life back in Adelaide for Grant and Emma the big ones the little ones are better who have vowed to never lose sight of staying United because when we're together we're we're stronger and they're still an empty chair though yeah but happily their couch is always full but the camera works just not great that's all what's that what's that with a steady stream of Charlie's Best mates dropping in unannounced day or night to share stories and videos you kind of take it for granted like at the time like at the time it just seemed like just never stops like he's always wanted to do something but now it's like you miss it so [Music] much from maintaining Charlie's room as he left it this is Charlie's room to photos and paintings of him hanging on the walls everyone wants to keep Charlie close Charlie had this ring on and uh he had it made for him and inside it's got his initials and Emma Emma took this ring off Charlie while he was in hospital and she put it on and I asked to have a look at it and I'm I haven't given it back yet and I'm not going to clearly I find myself just holding the ring every day and uh every time I put my hand in my pocket it catches on the edge of a pocket and reminds me of what a pain in the ass Charlie was and I if I'm honest doing press conferences about the road toll or road safety I go into it now on my my under this [Music] ring in those early days did you think about giving up your job retiring I did wonder whether or not this was a uh a point in time where I needed to reevaluate my professional position and I mentioned it briefly to Emma and I found out pretty quickly that uh we were thinking the same thing so um and I'm she's right she was right um going back has been good so I'm I'm on back 100% and Emma were you against it for him or for yourself oh for me oh definitely not ready for you to be home yet yeah she like sh what did you say you're okay to have dinner with me to have dinner with you but I'm not happy to have lunch with you every day Hello I'm Brown thanks for watching 60 Minutes Australia subscribe to our Channel now for brand new stories and exclusive Clips every week and don't miss out on our extra minute segments and full episodes of 60 Minutes on 9 now.com Au and the N Now app

Channel: 60 Minutes Australia

Views: 90,838

Keywords: 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes Australia, Liz Hayes, Tara Brown, 60Mins, Amelia Adams, news, world news, news australia, investigative journalism, 60 minutes australia youtube, 60 minutes youtube, 60 minutes episodes, 60 minutes australia episodes, 60 minutes australia, 60 minutes, Adam Hegarty, Dimity Clancey, Nick McKenzie, police, grant stevens, charlie stevens, south australia, flinders, car crash, hit and run, true crime, police commissioner

Id: BW0x6EMdyKU

Length: 22min 19sec (1339 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 07 2024