Alakiir Deng made choice to speed up during fatal Adelaide street race, ending of death of Bor Mabil, court told
A court has heard what was behind a young woman’s fateful decision to enter a street race with a friend, ending in the death of nursing student Bor Mabil, the sister of Socceroo Awer Mabil.
Police & Courts
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A young woman was in a state of “heightened stress” when she made the fateful decision to speed up and enter a street race which ended with the death of a 19-year-old nursing student.
Alakiir Kelei Deng was driving at an estimated 100km/h when the other car she was racing with crashed off the road in Andrews Farm.
The crash in January 2019 killed Bor Mabil, the sister of Socceroo Awer Mabil, who was the passenger in a second car driven by Akol Agiu Akol.
On Monday District Court Judge Michael Boylan heard that Deng, 20, of Gawler West, was able to keep control of her car after Akol’s car crashed off the road.
The group had been at a party in Andrews Farm and were relocating to a nearby park to continue the celebrations.
Martin Kirby, for Deng, said the music in his client’s car was playing loudly, her three passengers were variously telling her to speed up or slow down and Akol was initially behind her flashing his high beams.
Akol, who had a blood-alcohol level of .22 and had MDMA in his system tried to overtake Deng on the wrong side of the road but was forced to swerve back into his lane because of an oncoming car.
Mr Kirby said Deng made the fateful decision not to slow down at that point and continued to keep pace with Akol after he overtook her.
Going into the corner Mr Kirby said Deng was going slower than Akol and was able to maintain control even as the other car rolled onto its side and slide for 50 metres.
Ms Mabil, who was not wearing a seatbelt, suffered critical head injuries and died at the scene.
Deng was charged with one aggravated count of causing death by dangerous driving, and one count of contravening her learner’s permit by speeding.
Prosecutor Leah O’Donnell said Deng was to be sentenced on the grounds she had aided and abetted Akol in the street race.
However, she said that while Deng would have been aware that Akol had been drinking, she couldn't have known how drunk he was, that he had taken MDMA and had recently been in another crash.
Ms O’Donnell read victim impact statements to the court which had been written by Ms Mabil’s family when Akol was sentenced in February.
Mr Kirby said that Deng had suffered ostracism from the tight-knit Sudanese community as a result of the incident and had been assaulted during one confrontation.
Akol was drunk, unlicensed, speeding and affected by MDMA at the time – he was jailed for at least 2 ½ years, but that sentence was increased following an appeal by prosecutors.
