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Auckland City Mayor John Banks broke down at an inquest today into the death of teenager James Webster.
Kings College student Webster was found dead in a bed at a friend's house in May, after he was taken home from a party, drunk, vomiting and semi-conscious.
Speaking after his son Alex described how Webster drank the remains of a 40 oz bottle of vodka "in seconds" on the night he died, Banks made a plea to all fathers.
The mayor said such as tragedy could strike any family at any time.
"I'm deeply saddened and bewildered from what I have heard today in this court. As a father, I have done my best to teach my two sons what is right and what is wrong.
"My mother slowly killed herself finally on a combination of methylated spirits and sherry that she would drink all day, every day.
"I say to fathers that we have to be very, very vigilant with our sons.
"We love our boy and we've done our best and I accept responsibilities for his actions - that's what a father should do.
"If there is any good that can come from something that is so, so sad, it is that maybe we can save the lives of another James Webster by fathers clearly spelling out to their sons that alcohol can be dangerous and binge drinking can kill you."
Mayor Banks left the courtroom in tears.
Shots
Earlier, Alex Banks said he caught up with Webster at the16th birthday party they'd both been invited to.
Webster came with his friend Oscar Robinson but joined Banks and a group of friends for shots of the 35 percent spirit Jagermeister, and some shots of vodka early in the night.
Banks said they were sitting in a corner that was quite well concealed from adults. He said he called Webster over and offered him shots of Jagermeister. Banks also drank a couple of shots of Webster's vodka.
He said he had seen Webster carrying his own vodka bottle before he joined them. When Webster brought it to the table, it was about half-full.
He agreed under questioning that he had encouraged Webster to drink.
"It was only for fun. It was fun at the time. I just told him to keep drinking."
Banks himself said he himself had about 12 shots over the course of the night, but he thought Webster must have had a lot more.
"He must have been drinking prior to us meeting because he became drunk very quickly. James was starting to fall asleep. He was all over the place. His speech was starting to go and he could not walk. I had a bottle of water in my bag so I gave it to him to hopefully sober him up. James skulled the whole bottle of water and it appeared to have little effect.
"James threw the bottle away and picked up the bottle of vodka sitting on table and drank about 50 mls. He skulled it like it was nothing, in matter of seconds. It was very quick. He was basically gone from there. He could not walk or talk, and was in and out of consciousness. He was sitting there, smiling."
Alex Banks said he and James' friend Oscar Robinson, 15 at the time of the party, decided to carry him out.
"Oscar and I decided he was too pissed and needed to get him to the toilet. We carried him ... James was like jelly, in and out of consciousness, his eyes would open and close but he had a happy look about him."
He told the court that drinking secretively that night at the joint birthday party for Danielle Carter was easy, despite the presence of adults.
"I had asked Danielle if we were allowed to bring alcohol. She told me she wasn't sure. I decided to take some anyway. I took along with me a 40oz bottle of Jagermeister which I got off my brother who is over 18."
He said he and his friends carried beer and spirits into the party in their bags. The security guard checked their tickets for the invite-only party but did not check their bags.
Source of alcohol
The inquest was also told that Webster got his younger friend Robinson to get two bottles of spirits from an older person he knew. That person's name is still suppressed.
Webster told him he planned on getting drunk on the night of the party so asked Robinson if he could help to get the alcohol.
Robinson said Webster asked the person to get him a bottle of Smirnoff vodka and a bottle of Jagermeister, which Robinson delivered to him the day before the party.
He told the court he was surprised Webster wanted so much alcohol. He said usually guys just had beers when they went to parties.
"James said his alcohol supplies were low and he wanted it for other parties, too."
Robinson sneaked the bottles into the party one at a time under the jacket he was carrying, past the security guard at the Grey Lynn RSA.
Robinson said he only had a few sips of alcohol, but James drank a lot more with other people, and concealed the bottles under a table.
Security checks
Security guard for the night Taeao Sa told the inquest he did not let any intoxicated people into the club but said he saw a boy being carried to the bathroom by friends.
He said was the boy was "like jelly" and "half dead" so he told one of the organisers that he would call an ambulance, but the organiser, Gary Topp, told him there was a policeman and a nurse present who would look after him.
"I thought that with a policeman and nurse in the house he would be in good hands."
Webster was taken to one of the organisers' home and put to bed. He was found dead the next morning.
"I just feel so bad for the boy, I should have done what I was suppose to do and ring the ambulance, that's all I have to say," Sa said.
Yesterday, a former girlfriend told the coroner it wasn't unusual for Webster to drink heavily.
Danielle Carter
told the inquest
Webster had begun drinking heavily since the beginning of the year
and would go to parties every second weekend with the intention of
drinking to the point of passing out.
Carter's mother Rachel said she took the comatose boy home from the
party being held for Danielle and put him to bed in a spare room.
She said she checked him as soon as she woke up the next morning
and said she knew immediately that he was dead.
The Webster family dispute that James was regularly drunk and says he had only drunk a few times in his life.
And Alex Banks admitted he had never seen Webster drunk, just been told by Webster himself through text message. He said Webster had never posted anything on his Facebook page about drinking.
Banks acknowledged under questioning that Webster's texts saying he had been drinking "could have been bravado".
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