SA court suspends killer driver Callum Nelsen Shannon’s sentence, tells him to ‘spread message of deterrence’ in the community
He was so high on drugs he can’t remember killing his friend in a crash, but a judge says this young driver should continue “spreading the message of deterrence” on a suspended sentence rather than serving time in jail.
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A young driver who killed his friend while high on cannabis and Xanax will better serve the community by “spreading the message of deterrence” than serving jail time, a judge says.
On Wednesday, the District Court suspended Callum Nelsen Shannon’s prison term, for aggravated causing death by dangerous driving, on condition of a $100 bond.
Judge Joana Fuller said Shannon would suffer the “enduring guilt” of having killed Cael Paparella, and the effects of his own brain injuries, “until the end of your days”.
She praised his effort to rehabilitate and desire to lecture high school students and other young people about road crashes, urging him to continue to pursue those goals.
“The community does not need protection from you,” she said.
“If you remain in the community and continue to spread the message of deterrence, and if you make just one young person think, then the community will be safer.”
Shannon, 21, of Glengowrie, was 19 when his car left the road at Main Rd, Cherry Gardens – Mr Paparella, who was not wearing his seatbelt, stuck his head upon impact.
He died in hospital, eight days later, when his life support was switched off.
In June, Shannon read a letter of apology to the court expressing his remorse for “robbing” Mr Paparella of a future, and his family of a life with him.
In sentencing on Wednesday, Judge Fuller repeatedly referred to Shannon and Mr Paparella as “best friends”, saying they had known each other since their high school days.
However, Mr Paparella’s family – who neither gave victim impact statements nor attended court – has told The Advertiser the duo were not best friends.
Judge Fuller said Shannon had 27mg/L of THC – the active ingredient in cannabis – in his system following the crash.
The amount of Xanax in his blood was “at the upper end of the therapeutic range”, but the drug had not been prescribed to him.
She said Shannon could not be sentenced on the basis of prolonged reckless driving, as there were no witnesses to either the crash or his pre-crash conduct on the road.
“I will sentence you on the basis that the relevant period of dangerous driving was from a nearby lookout to the crash site, which is a very short distance,” she said.
“You have described yourself, in that period of your life, as being a ‘waste of space’ … people now describe you as a changed person, and in many ways changed for the better.”
Judge Fuller imposed a 3 ½-year sentence with a non-parole period of two years and nine months, but suspended that term due to Shannon’s good prospects for rehabilitation
She disqualified him from driving for 13 years.
