Jesshua Readdy jailed for drink drive death of Ayr’s Donna Chapman and grandson Aziz Borne

A North Queensland woman who lost her son and mother in a “catastrophic” crash at the hands of a drunk driver delivered a powerful message to him before he was jailed.

A North Queensland woman who lost her son and mother in a “catastrophic” crash at the hands of a drunk driver delivered a powerful message to him before he was jailed.

Ayr woman Donna Chapman, 47 and her grandson Aziz Borne, 2, were killed by a drunk driver on the Bruce Highway at Julago on October 31, 2021.

The crash was caused by Jesshua Errol Richard Readdy, 23, who had made the fateful decision to drive after a night of partying on Magnetic Island.

Townsville District Court on Friday heard that Readdy had been drinking and smoking cannabis the night before the crash, and that his partying continued into the day – finishing his last drink at about 12.30 or 1.30pm.

Crown Prosecutor Andrew Walklate said Readdy had been convinced by a friend to drive to Ayr, and despite knowing he was over the legal limit, he believed he could maintain control of his vehicle.

He could not.

At 4.45pm, 15 minutes into their drive, Readdy lost control of his Prado – first clipping a Toyota Corolla, and then colliding head-on with Ms Chapman’s Mazda 3.

Ms Chapman had been driving with her daughter Jade, 30, in the passenger seat and Aziz – Jade’s son – in the rear right side passenger seat.

The crash, the court heard, was “catastrophic”.

Ms Chapman was pronounced dead on the scene, and Jade had to be extricated from the vehicle, and later underwent multiple surgeries.

Aziz died four days later in hospital.

The highway was closed for several hours after the crash.

Readdy, supported in court by multiple family members, pleaded guilty to a count of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death and grievous bodily harm while adversely affected by an intoxicating substance.

While Readdy had not been speeding at the time of the crash, Mr Walklate said another motorist had seen Readdy swerving on the road beforehand.

A test after the crash revealed Readdy had a blood-alcohol level of .140 per cent.

Between tears, the words of a mother who will never again hold her young son or her own mother again echoed through the courtroom.

“Nothing that was normal, is normal now,” Jade said via videolink into the courtroom.

“Something like this has a ripple effect on not just our family, but a community as well, it changes you so deeply and so permanently, that every fibre of your existence is moulded into something unrecognisable; as though I’ve lived two lives, the one I lived before this, and the one I live now.”

Aziz Borne, 2.

The court heard the family had suffered an additional loss after the suicide death of one of Donna’s sons in the wake of the tragedy.

Reading his letter of apology, Readdy’s hands shook and he fought back tears as he addressed the court, saying he was “sorry beyond words” for his “unforgivable” actions.

“I wish every minute of every day that I never made the decision to get in that car, (but) I did,” Readdy said.

“Please know I am sorry beyond words, nothing can fix what I’ve done, what I am responsible for, know that this will never leave me and will hang over my head and in my thoughts all my life.

“It makes me sick to think of what I’ve put you through. My stupid decision to hop behind the wheel drunk ended in the loss of your mother and child …,

Donna Chapman, 47.

“I never stop thinking about what I’ve done. It is the first thing on my mind when I wake up, and what I wrestle to sleep with at night … I would give anything to give them back to you …”

Defence barrister Dane Marley said Readdy was of otherwise “good character”, and had been diagnosed with depression as a teenager.

Mr Marley said Readdy had been a “heavy drinker” since he was 18, but was no longer smoking cannabis.

In sentencing, Judge Paul Smith said he hoped Readdy would consider what he could do “about road safety”.

He sentenced Readdy to nine years’ jail, with a parole eligibility date set at March 8, 2026.

He was disqualified from driving for five years.

Originally published as Jesshua Readdy jailed for drink drive death of Ayr’s Donna Chapman and grandson Aziz Borne