Sophia Crestani death: Tenant tells inquest there was expectation for named flats in North Dunedin to host big parties

A former tenant at a Dunedin flat where a 19-year-old student died at an overcrowded party has told an inquest there was an expectation for named flats to host big get-togethers.

On October 6, 2019, Sophia Crestani and hundreds of others crammed into a Dundas St flat – a 114-year-old villa known as “The Manor” where a party dubbed “The Manor presents Maggot-fest”, was being held.

A five-day inquest into her death started on Monday morning in Dunedin District Court.

Sophia’s parents Elspeth McMillan and Bede Crestani have travelled from Wellington to Dunedin for the inquest, and are representing themselves to cross-examine witnesses.

A former Manor tenant, who has interim name suppression, gave evidence that he was one of eight students who specifically sought to rent the flat.

The party was planned as a final “doozie” before the flat was sold to the university, and around 250 people were invited on social media though hundreds of others were notified by word of mouth, the inquest heard.

The party was one of three large parties hosted at the Manor that year.

The tenants barricaded three rooms to limit the party areas, covered the floor in plastic, and set up two DJ booths, one upstairs protected by farming gates and one downstairs by crowd control barriers.

During cross-examination, Bede Crestani asked the witness about a previous party in July that received several noise complaints resulting in an email from their property manager that they would be referred to the tenancy tribunal, and the subsequent decision of the tenants to host another party.

The witness said he felt there was an expectation as a named flat to have two or three big parties a year, and the tenants felt opposition to the property manager.

“Retrospectively, it doesn’t seem like they were out to get us, but that was the way relationships of North Dunedin flats seemed to go with their owners.”

He said the tenants listed the party on the online party register Good One which they thought would have alerted local authorities to the party.

He said barricading some rooms was “retrospectively… one of the worst decisions we’ve ever made”.

The witness told the inquest he was in his bedroom, with its door locked, for most of the duration of the party with two mates.

As the party progressed, there was banging on his door and yelling outside, but he said this did not raise alarm bells as it had happened before during parties.

Bede Crestani asked: “What were you doing to look after the health and safety of your guests so they didn’t die?”

“Not much. Nothing,” said the witness.

McMillan asked the witness if he thought opening his door would have allowed people to get to safety, he said: “Yes.”

The witness wept as he told the inquest he thought about that decision “every day”.

Rebekah Jordan, counsel assisting the coroner, asked if the tenants were prioritising personal property over the safety of partygoers.

“At the time we weren’t prioritising one over the other, but looking back it can look that way,” he said.

Coroner Heather McKenzie began the inquest on Monday by addressing Sophia’s parents, saying their loss was “incalculable”.

“Sophia was a much-loved family member who was in Dunedin to study at the University of Otago… She was just beginning her adult life when she died.”

McKenzie acknowledged Sophia’s parents’ desire to see changes in Dunedin’s student culture, and the creation of the Sophia Charter, a shared commitment by Dunedin stakeholders, including the university, police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Otago Property Investors Association, Dunedin City Council and Otago University Students’ Association to enhance the safety and wellbeing of Dunedin’s student community.

The task of the inquest was not to apportion liability, but to consider what has happened in Dunedin since Sophia’s death and decide whether any recommendations should be made to help prevent similar deaths from occurring, she said.

“There has been a lot to absorb and deal with in preparation for the inquest and we are thankful that it is finally happening,” McMillan told the Herald ahead of the hearing.

“Hopefully it will provide us with answers to what, when, how and why, some accountability and some positive recommendations so that another senseless death or injuries can be avoided.”

The inquest continues.

Ben Tomsett is a Multimedia Journalist for the New Zealand Herald, based in Dunedin.