Teenage drug-driver jailed over tragic Blacktown fatality
A P-plater driver who had a cocktail of drugs in his system when he lost control and crashed into a telegraph pole, tragically killing a teenage girl, has been sentenced to jail.
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A drug-affected P-plater who killed a 17-year-old girl and seriously injured two others after crashing into a telegraph pole in Blacktown last year has been jailed.
Cameron Cook, now aged 19, of Blacktown, had a cocktail of drugs in his system when he sped around a bend, mounted the kerb and crashed at the corner of Garden and Eggleton streets in the early hours of October 14, 2018.
Passenger Kasey Xuereb was tragically killed at the scene and two other young female passengers suffered devastating injuries.
Cook was charged and pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated dangerous driving occasioning death and two counts of aggravated dangerous driving occasioning actual bodily harm.
Cook had been at a party the night of the crash and had consumed a mix of MDMA, Xanax without a prescription and possibly cannabis, just hours before he got behind the wheel.
He was driving back to his Blacktown home, about 600 metres from the crash site, with friends when the crash occurred at 5.30am.
The court heard that emergency crews found Cook in a daze and under the influence of drugs when they arrived at the scene.
When asked by a Fire and Rescue NSW crew member if he had taken drugs, Cook purportedly replied: “I’d taken some pills. Woah, man, this is trippin’”.
The defence argued Cook had been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder which had led him to develop an addiction to Xanax at the start of 2018 to alleviate the stress of his HSC studies.
His defence said underlying mental health issues had contributed to his actions which resulted in the crash, however, Judge Alister Abadee disputed the claim.
“I am not persuaded on the balance of probabilities it was directly associated to an underlying anxiety disorder,” Judge Abadee said.
He said Cook’s drug taking was for his “own gratification” and the crash was not the consequence of “momentary inattention or misjudgment”.
Judge Abadee said Cook’s decision to drive while being under the influence, despite his passenger offering to drive, was “highly irresponsible”.
“Sadly, that was a fateful decision that had catastrophic consequences,” he said.
At an earlier sentencing hearing, Kasey’s parents and grandparents spoke of their immense pain at losing their beloved daughter and granddaughter.
In a victim impact statement, mum Lori Smith said the tragedy had left a hole in the family.
“Every fibre of my being yearns for her. I hardly sleep and when I do, it’s filled with nightmares,” Ms Smith said.
“My sorrow runs as deeply as I love her and I have to live without her for the rest of my life.”
Ms Smith and father Shane Xuereb lovingly remembered Kasey as an grade-A student who enjoyed spending time with her family, watching Netflix and eating chicken nuggets.
Cook was sentenced before a large group of his friends and family at Parramatta District Court today to seven years in jail, with a minimum term of three years and 10 months. He will be eligible for parole in September 2023.
Speaking after the sentencing, Kasey’s parents said no prison sentence was enough to bring their daughter back.
“Nothing will bring her back,” Ms Smith said.
She hoped the tragedy would serve as a warning to other young drivers.
“If one kid puts down their keys because they don’t want to go to jail, then that family, that kid, is saved.”