Amy Ellen Ford sentenced for taking life of Jamie Winn while drink, drug driving
A heartbroken widow, father and sister have shared their devastation at losing a loved one because a young driver was speeding while impacted by drugs and alcohol.
Police & Courts
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A grief-stricken widow has tearfully shared the devastating impact of losing her “soulmate” as the young driver who caused his death learned how long she would spend in jail.
“I feel I died that morning too,” Krissinda Winn said.
Like many mornings before Jamie Winn rode his Harley Davidson from Mirani to his work at Paget, oblivious to the fact he would never return home.
The beloved husband, son, brother, uncle, friend had his life cut short when driver Amy Ellen Ford, impacted by drugs and alcohol and travelling between 20kmh and 40kmh over the speed limit, ploughed into his bike head-on.
The then-23 year old had made the choice to get behind the wheel after knocking back four drinks, and with marijuana in her system as she travelled the 10km to her home.
It is a choice that has haunted her ever since.
Ford barely made it four kilometres before her silver Toyota Corolla veered into the wrong lane on Mackay Eungella Rd and wiped out Jamie’s motorbike just before 3am on October 29, 2023. He died at the scene from catastrophic injuries.
‘I have lost the other part of myself’
Now 16 months later Jamie’s heartbroken widow, father and sister have confronted Ford, now 25, with powerful victim impact statements that described the impact his death has had on their lives, in a three-hour sentencing hearing in Mackay District Court.
“Jamie was my world and I was his,” Krissinda Winn said through tears, sharing she and Jamie had met 11 years ago and since that time had been inseparable.
Unable to have children, the couple had adopted and cared for five cats.
“I’m still and forever will be completely shattered and lost,” she said.
“Jamie was my soulmate and I have lost the other part of myself.”
Mrs Winn said she went to the scene where Jamie died by the roadside.
“As I went looking for him and I feel I died that morning too,” she said.
The couple had only recently celebrated Jamie’s 35th birthday and their nine-year wedding anniversary — both also occurring in October, once a happy month now marred by sadness.
Mrs Winn could not get used to the fact “Jamie will never lay next to me again”.
“The pain of having Jamie’s chair empty is too much to bear,” she said.
And places that used to bring them joy now hold too many painful memories.
“Sometimes I even have to take the back road around the crash site as I can’t stand to look at where Jamie’s life was taken,” she said.
His death had also caused her multiple sclerosis to flare up causing permanent damage.
‘Emptiness in my stomach’
Jamie’s father John Winn said Ford made a conscious decision to drive and “as a result took the life of my only son … my best mate”.
“Only those who have lost a child will know what I’m saying,” Mr Winn said.
“I felt that my whole life had stopped … my heart had been ripped from my chest.”
Since his son’s death Mr Winn said there had been many times he had reached for his phone to call Jamie “only to realise he’ll never be able to answer it”.
“I then get an emptiness in my stomach,” Mr Winn said.
“No matter how many times this person says sorry it will never be enough.”
Jamie’s sister Angie said Jamie had been her only sibling.
“As kids we were each other’s company and always looked out for each other,” she said, describing her brother as the “fun cheeky uncle to my two children”.
“He was so proud to be an uncle,” she said.
“Some nights I look at his photos and for a moment I feel the reality of the situation creep up on me.”
As the victim impact statements were read Ford gave each reader her full attention.
‘What have I done’
Ford had finished a long shift at the Railway Hotel in Marian and knocked back four cans of bourbon before she got behind the wheel.
No explanation was given about why her vehicle drifted into the oncoming traffic lane by at least 1.2m when she hit Jamie’s bike, but the court heard it was open to infer fatigue might have been a factor.
The court heard Jamie and his bike were projected backwards off the road, while Ford’s car came to a stop 65m away from where the crash occurred – with debris spread over about 35m.
Ford climbed out of her mangled car through a window and a passing motorist found her 10m from her vehicle. She had called triple-0 “emotionally distressed, inconsolable and hyperventilating” and saying “what did I just do, what have I done, I’ve killed him”.
When speaking to police, who also found a used bong and grinder in her car, she told them “charge me, I did it, charge me”.
A data analysis of Ford’s vehicle revealed she could have been travelling between 126kmh and 139kmh at the time of the crash and there were no brake marks on the road at any point prior to impact.
Blood samples revealed a 0.089 BAC reading about two hours after the crash, while a count back indicated her BAC could have been anywhere between 0.07 and 0.11. She also had 0.01mg of marijuana in her system.
The court heard a toxicologist report stated Ford’s ability to drive safely would have been “severely impacted”.
She pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death while adversely affected by drugs and alcohol, which has a maximum penalty of 14 years jail.
‘She knows she’s going to jail’
Crown prosecutor Monique Sheppard submitted for six years jail with parole eligibility after one third of the term, citing the need to deter others.
“She assumed the risk to get behind the wheel,” Ms Sheppard said, adding Ford had been planning to drive 10km.
Barrister Gerard Elmore, instructed by McKay’s Solicitors, said his client was significantly emotionally impacted by her offending and the tragic consequence and had shown genuine remorse.
“She knows she must spend time in actual custody,” Mr Elmore said.
The court heard Ford had a troubled teenage life, having to deal with her mother’s mental health and multiple suicide attempts.
Mr Elmore described Ford as someone with no traffic or criminal history coming before court for an extremely serious criminal offence, saying she “made a terrible mistake of the highest order”.
“There would be fewer mistakes that could be catalogued as being any worse than the mistake my client has made,” Mr Elmore said.
“It is a mistake that as a consequence of which she will find herself in actual custody.”
The court heard when released from jail Ford planned on leaving Mackay.
“She is simply sorry for the pain and suffering that she’s caused,” Mr Elmore said, adding it was unlikely she would end up back before the criminal courts.
The court heard Ford had also started going to church and reading passages from the Bible.
Mr Elmore tendered nine clean drug and alcohol tests for Ford, taken over a protracted period.
He pushed for five years jail suspended after serving anywhere from three months to 12 months in jail.
‘Jailed’
Judge Gregory Lynham said factors of the offending, that she drove at speed and crossed the centre line into the wrong lane all while impacted by drugs and alcohol, had to be balanced against her own background, complete lack of criminal and traffic history and that she was genuinely remorseful.
He accepted Ford had consistently shown remorse for her actions and there was evidence she had expressed feelings of shame, severe depression and helplessness including that she did “not deserve to live for taking another life”.
“It is clear that Mr Winn’s death has been a harrowing experience for all of his loved ones. His loss has been and continues to be felt deeply and that will I suspect remain the case for the rest of each of (their) lives,” Judge Lynham said
“It’s clear this was an insurmountable loss that will never be replaced. His death has had profound effects on all those who loved him and knew him well.
“No one could have expected on this particular day when Mr Winn set out for work early that he would not be coming back.”
Judge Lynham said he was not persuaded by arguments for five years jail. Instead he jailed Ford for 5.5 years with parole eligibility on May 17, 2026 after serving 15 months.
She was also disqualified from driving for five years.
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