Push for mandatory sentencing for hit-and-run killers in Queensland

Queensland’s hit-run laws are among the nation’s weakest, with gutless drivers often never serving a day behind bars. But shattered families of victims say enough is enough and want major reform to ensure killers stay locked up for longer.

GRIEVING parents of Queensland hit-run victims are calling for tougher penalties after a spate of recent cases, including a serial speedster who was spared jail after pleading guilty to killing a young man walking home from his birthday celebrations.

Cairns man Scott Bradley, 24, was left for dead after being struck in Mossman by Troy Anthony Salam, a man with a history of serious traffic offences, in September 2016.

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Salam, 47, of Gladstone, received a six-month suspended sentence for fleeing the scene, suspended for 18 months, in Mossman Magistrates Court.

He was also sentenced to three months jail for driving without due care and attention. That was wholly suspended for the same period.

Scott Bradley, 24, was killed in a hit-and-run incident in September 2016.

Opposition legal affairs spokesman David Janetzki has written to the State Government asking for it to appeal Salam’s sentence, saying it was a “slap on the wrist”.

The deadline for an appeal is tomorrow.

The Opposition is also backing calls for reform, saying those who show “callous disregard” by fleeing accidents should be subject to jail time.

Mr Bradley’s parents have joined other families in demanding the tougher legislation to bring Queensland in line with other states.

Ravenshoe couple Scott and Rachael Bowden, whose son Michael died after being struck by a car in June, have written to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath and Police Minister Mark Ryan, pushing for mandatory two-year minimum jail sentencesfor those who leave the scene of a crash where a person has been injured or killed.

The diesel fitter, 20, was killed in Weipa as he walked home from a fishing festival. He died at the scene.

The alleged driver, Vincent Raymond Edwards, has been charged with offences including driving without due care, fail to remain at an incident and driving a vehicle whilst under the influence of liquor or a drug. He has not yet entered a plea.

Rachael and Scott Bowden are campaigning for the laws to change after their son Michael Bowden was killed in June 2018.

Mr and Mrs Bowden also want the State Government to impose a maximum penalty of seven to 10 years for killers who callously drive off, to bring the laws into line with other major states, including NSW and Victoria.

The current maximum penalty for failing to remain at a scene is three years in jail.

The maximum penalty for driving without due care and attention in Queensland is just one year behind bars, unless the driver is unlicensed at the time, when the maximum becomes two years.

An online petition calling for the amendments to be made has been signed by more than 18,000 people.

“What is wrong with this Government? Are they that far out of touch with humanity that they find these sentences being handed out by the courts acceptable?” Mr Bowden told The Sunday Mail.

Michael Bowden was 20 when he was killed in a hit-and-run in June 2018.

“If you shot or stabbed someone and they can’t prove intent, it is still manslaughter, but if you drive a car, it’s not.

“It’s bad enough to lose a child but to lose a child through this way and for the law not to back you, it’s just gut-wrenching.

“Our fight is so that no other family has to go through this. It’s too late for our boy but why should other people have to watch people walk away without being punished?”

There have been a spate of hit-runs in the far north, including the death of Harley Amos, 18, who was killed at Dimbulah in October.

“The laws dealing with hit-and-run offences in Queensland aren’t up to scratch compared to other states and we are demanding change,” Mr Janetzki told The Sunday Mail.

“Callous hit-and-run offenders are receiving a slap on the wrist or, in other words, a wholly suspended sentence, and frankly this is not good enough.

“Knowingly fleeing an accident and leaving an injured or dead person behind is a despicable crime and the offender should be held accountable.”

Acting Transport and Main Roads Minister Craig Crawford. Picture: AAP/Richard Waugh

Acting Transport and Main Roads Minister Craig Crawford said the Government introduced tougher laws increasing maximum penalties for offences, including careless driving causing death, which has a maximum jail term of two years, last year.

He also cited changes to dangerous driving causing death, which now has a maximum jail term of 14 years.

Neither the man who killed Mr Bradley nor the man accused of hitting Mr Bowden were charged with this offence.

“Those tougher laws were in line with recommendations handed down by the State Coroner,” Mr Crawford said. “We are always prepared to listen to the advice from the judiciary and to the community on whether our laws are in step with community expectations.

“Our courts have discretion for the majority of offences in Queensland to allow for consideration of all circumstances.”

SON WOULD BE ALIVE IF KILLER WAS LOCKED UP

JANICE Bradley says her son Scott would still be alive if the man who killed him had been adequately punished decades earlier for his deplorable driving.

In 2016, Mr Bradley was walking home from his 24th birthday party at Mossman, north of Cairns, when he was killed in a hit-run by Troy Anthony Salam, a man with a long history of speeding, driving unlicensed and getting behind the wheel drunk.

A police prosecutor told Mossman Magistrates Court last month the 47-year-old was convicted of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm at age 24 and received community service.

Despite this, Salam received only a six-month suspended sentence.

Janice and Graham bradley with children Michael, 24, Johanna Bradley, 28, and Mark, 30. Picture: Marc McCormack

It took police about one year to charge Salam after issuing public calls for assistance that saw him finally tracked down in Gladstone.

Mrs Bradley believes had Salam been properly punished more than 20 years earlier, her son would never have been killed.

“Knowing that he had four pages of traffic offences and he has just run over my son and left him there to die just makes me angry about the whole system because I feel like every magistrate and judge who had seen him before just let him keep getting behind the wheel,” she said.

“Twenty years ago, after Salam had been convicted of grievous bodily harm, the courts should have taken note and sent a strong message to him that he has to stop and no more traffic offences should have been tolerated.”