Youth who killed Dr Georgina Heath by dangerous driving, after drinking and while speeding, must serve adult sentence, SA court told

Georgina Heath died in a high-speed crash – now full details of her killer’s drunken evening can be revealed.

A drunk, speeding, P plate-disobeying young driver’s “series” of “stupid mistakes”, ending in an academic’s death, were so grave he must be sentenced as an adult, a court has heard.

For the first time, The Advertiser can report the youth spent several hours drinking before crashing into and killing Dr Georgina Heath.

Dr Heath, 51, was a mum of two and UniSA academic.

On Tuesday, the District Court heard the youth had finished work, went to a pub for dinner and a drink, then met and friend and went to a Bottle-O to buy more alcohol.

It heard they consumed a carton of beer at the friend’s house before the youth decided to drive, at high speed and against his P plate conditions, to collect his mother from a pub.

Sue Agnew, prosecuting, said the fatal collision then occurred – demonstrating the youth’s “significant moral culpability” for Dr Heath’s death.

Hackham car crash victim Georgina Heath, left with daughters Teyah and Jessie Heath. Picture: Supplied,

“This was not just one mistake, it was a series of very poor decisions made that night,” she said.

“Even then, the collision would not have happened had the youth been driving at the signposted speed – the expert report makes that clear.”

The 19-year-old pleaded guilty to one aggravated count of having caused Dr Heath’s death, by dangerous driving, at Hackham in 2023.

He collided with a car, in which Dr Heath was a passenger, while driving at between 139km/h and 150km/h with a blood alcohol reading of 0.128.

Dr Heath’s family denounced the teen as an “ignorant and destructive murderer” in their victim impact statements.

He argued his crime was not the worst of the worst and therefore not eligible for sentencing as an adult under laws drafted in 2017 following the death of Nicole Tucker.

On Tuesday, Ms Agnew said the youth must not only be sentenced as an adult, but also serve the mandatory 4/5 non-parole period for his offence.

Britney Armstrong, for the youth, said that was “not what parliament had intended” when rewriting the law.

“This is a man who has no record at all … this was undoubtedly serious, but he was still a youth at the time,” she said.

“The law does not indicate that every youth who commits an offence of causing death by dangerous driving needs to be sentenced as an adult.

“He made stupid decisions, a number of stupid decisions, but he did not get into that car intending to kill someone.”

Judge Paul Muscat remanded the youth on continuing bail for sentencing in September.