Linda Britton to be sentenced for killing Skye Luland and Kazzandra Widders

The family of a young woman crushed and killed by a driver, who also killed her own daughter in the same incident at a NSW north coast car park, have sobbed as they told their court of their relentless grief.

Skye Luland and Kazzandra Widders were killed after Linda Britton allegedly hit them with her car at a Nambucca Heads parking lot.

The family of a young woman crushed and killed by a driver who also killed her own daughter in a NSW north coast car park have unveiled their anguish at the driver’s sentencing hearing.

Linda Britton was found guilty of manslaughter at a District Court trial after she hit and killed her daughter Skye Luland and another woman, Kazzandra Widders, with a car at Nambucca Heads on September 28, 2019.

The court heard the two younger women were fighting on the ground when Britton drove the car at the pair, killing them.

It took a jury two and a half hours to find Britton guilty.

Britton is now facing a sentencing hearing at Sydney District Court, where the family of Ms Widders – a young mother – unveiled their crippling grief at her untimely death.

The crime scene at a Nambucca parking lot in 2019.

Her mother Karen Walker stood in the witness stand and tugged on a shirt depicting Ms Widders’ face.

“You can’t even look at me, you can’t even look at Cassandra,” Ms Walker shouted, as Britton sat in the dock and stared at her lap unmoved.

“She was 20 years of age, you took her life. I hope you pay for it and my ancestors will make sure you pay for it.”

Ms Walker said she had to walk past the place her daughter was killed every day.

“Nothing compares to losing my daughter. It’s like I’ve lost part of myself, part of my heart, part of my soul that can never be replaced,” Ms Walker wept.

“I’m heartbroken and life will never be the same – you destroyed my family.”

Linda Britton was taken by police to the former Macksville Hospital a few hours after an incident at Nambucca Heads.

Ms Widders’ father Harold Widders was succinct in his submission.

“You changed the course of our lives,” Mr Widders said softly, staring directly at Britton in the dock while she gazed at the floor.

“What language can describe my grief? Let justice be done, eh.”

Ms Widders’ grandmother Elaine sobbed on the stand as she spoke of her grief at her family’s loss.

“As the matriarch of my family, I was trying to hold my own grief and support the rest of my family,” the elder Ms Widders said through tears.

“My heart is broken, I don’t think I will ever heal – I pray every night to take the pain away.”

Ms Widders’ sisters Shona, Vera, Naomi and Renee also gave victim impact statements.

“I still talk to Kazz’s spirit, and ask her to help me with my worries,” Shona said.

“When my children ask, I say, Aunty Kazz is in the stars, clapping their achievements, wiping their tears – if I could give my life for her I would do it in a heartbeat.”

Linda Britton, found guilty of killing two girls by driving over them at a Nambucca Heads carpark, outside Downing Centre DIstrict Court on March 1, 2023. Picture: Eliza Barr

Ms Widders’ younger sister Renee said she had suffered anxiety ever since her sister’s death and is constantly looking over her shoulder every day.

“I always think if someone can do this to my sister, what can they do to me,” Renee said through tears.

Addressing Britton directly, she said: “You ought to be ashamed of yourself, you killed your own daughter and you showed no remorse.”

Britton never looked up at any of the family members and repeatedly shook her head throughout various parts of their statements.

The crown asked for a sentence that reflected “the sanctity of human life and recognised the grief and trauma caused by the grossly unreasonable act” by Britton.

“It’s an unlawful and dangerous act, caused by using a car as a weapon,” the crown said.

“The actions that the offender chose, to use a car as a weapon, carrying with it the obvious great risk that that involves - that places it as a serious case of manslaughter.”

The defence barrister asked Judge Sarah Huggett to set aside Ms Widders’ family’s assessment of Britton’s remorse and to make her own judgment.

He also suggested Britton’s actions were not as “gross” a departure from reason as the crown had suggested.

“She’s under tremendous pressure, she uses the only instrument that is available to her, she makes that decision very quickly and she is no longer in control and does not intend the mode of impact ultimately caused,” the barrister said.

“There’s a high level of provocation and the desire to defend her daughter was very real...as she moves up the grass into the carpark she’s no longer in control.”

When asked outside court if she regretted her actions, Britton said “of course, of course I do”.

“I lost my daughter that day, and another girl, I didn’t want anyone to get hurt,” Britton said. “I was trying to protect my daughter.”

When asked what she would say to Ms Widders’ family, Britton said: “I’m remorseful, I’m so sorry.” “I didn’t mean for anybody to get hurt that night, I’m not that sort of person…it was chaos.”

The matter was adjourned to April 13.