Killer drug driver’s sentence is disgusting and no deterrent, says mother of crash victim Shane Zelenko

The mother of a young man killed in a regional car crash says a court has placed more value on the meth-fuelled killer’s future than her son’s lost life and stolen potential.

Joanne Wynne, mother of road crash victim Shane Zelenko, outside court following the sentencing of killer driver David Edward Goddard. Picture: Sean Fewster.

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Joanne Wynne lost her beloved son, Shane Zelenko, to a workmate who was high on methylamphetamine, fatigued and reckless enough to get behind the wheel of a truck.

For two years, her grief and loss have been compounded by David Edward Goddard’s denials of drug use, claims of memory loss and pleas for mercy because of his own injuries.

On Wednesday, her emotional strength finally failed as the District Court sentenced Goddard to a minimum term of two years and nine months — robbing her of her composure.

“My son is worth more than two years and nine months,” she yelled from the public gallery as Judge Joanne Tracey left the bench.

Shane Zelenko died in the crash caused by Goddard. Picture: Facebook.

Outside court, Ms Wynne said the penalty was not only insulting to her son’s memory but also failed as a deterrent to other drug-using drivers.

“Disappointment is an understatement — that was pretty disgusting, it’s putting a value on my son’s life and it’s pathetic,” she said.

“It was all about Goddard’s depression, his anxiety, how hard it’s been for him … I’ve sat through it time and time again (in court) for two years.

“He did it, and nobody put a crack pipe in his mouth, yet he got everything he wanted … (the sentence) doesn’t mean anything, and it’s not going to stop anyone else.”

Goddard, 58, pleaded guilty to one aggravated count of causing the death of Shane, 22, by dangerous driving in July 2017.

He was erratically driving them toward Tanunda, following several days’ work as a demolition crew, when his truck slammed into a tree on its final drift.

Ms Wynne feels the court placed more weight on Goddard’s future than her son’s life. Picture: Sean Fewster.

Initially Goddard, who had 0.62mg of methylamphetamine in his system, claimed Shane had been driving but later admitted his culpability.

However, he also insisted he was not a drug user and had no memory of consuming any substance — assertions disputed by the pair’s workmates and Goddard’s own history.

In sentencing on Wednesday, Judge Tracey said Goddard had been a professional rugby player prior to a career-ending injury, and had struggled with excessive alcohol use.

She said he had “complex” health issues, including an acquired brain injury, psychological problems and injuries sustained in the crash, that required care.

While Goddard’s doctors had argued he would best rehabilitate in the community, Judge Tracey concluded his needs could be met within the prison system.

She imposed a maximum 3 ½-year sentence and disqualified him from driving for 12 years.

Outside court, Ms Wynne said Goddard’s claims of remorse held no value for her.

“He doesn’t regret what he’s done, he regrets getting caught … he’s 58 years old, not a 20-year-old who’s made a stupid mistake,” she said.

“He’s a liar, and he has been from the very beginning … it’s been bull, it’s been crap, ever since then.”

Sentences no deterrent to drivers when pure ice is so cheap

Sean Fewster

Two years ago, a judge bemoaned the “disheartening” task of jailing killer drivers — despite a decade of legislative change and case law emphasising the need to do so.

Eleven days ago, the Sunday Mail revealed doses of the lethal drug ice, ranging in purity from 50 per cent to 80 per cent, can be bought in SA for less than the price of alcohol.

On Thursday, Joanne Wynne lost her composure when David Edward Goddard, the drug-fuelled driver who killed her son, was told he could be free by March 12, 2022.

Can you blame her?

Here’s an even sadder, more maddening question: Is anyone surprised by this anymore?

Come February, I’ll have covered SA’s courts for 18 years and, if there’s been one through-line of my career, it’s the offence of causing death by dangerous driving.

Crafted because juries were slow to convict drivers of manslaughter, it was supposed to secure more convictions, deter future offending and deliver more justice.

It did the former, certainly, but the jury’s still out on the other two categories.

Looking back through years of notebooks, it seems drugged killer drivers can expect a three-year head sentence, with at least two years to be served.

Depending on toxicology — whether it was illicit drugs or alcohol, and how much of either was in their system — they may even get a suspended sentence or home detention.

Outside court, Joanne Wynne said Goddard’s penalty would do nothing to deter others from being so reckless, so callous, as to get behind the wheel while high.

That’s a horrible thought — but at a time when you can get your fix for less than a carton of booze, it rings as a terrifying truth.

With the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in limbo right now, awaiting Adam Kimber SC’s successor, it’s doubtful Goddard’s sentence will be subject of an appeal.

We can but hope the new DPP — whomever she or he is — sees the need to challenge this calcified status quo and make real change for victims, families and the community.