Fairfield Forum: Sina Ventura sentenced for fatal accident with Nazha Maklouf
A woman has been sentenced after she hit and killed an elderly pedestrian while leaving a Fairfield shopping centre in her 4WD.
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A woman who hit and killed an elderly pedestrian while leaving a Fairfield shopping centre in her 4WD has personality adjustment disorder, depression and anxiety as a result of the incident, a court has heard.
Sina Ventura was sentenced today in Fairfield Local Court after she hit 74-year-old Nazha Maklouf at Fairfield Forum on September 3, 2019.
The 56-year-old mother of two from Wetherill Park had earlier enter a guilty plea to one count of negligent driving occasioning death.
According to court documents, Ventura was waiting for a break in traffic when she was exiting Fairfield Forum shopping centre, but as she turned right onto Station St, her Toyota Kluger struck Nazha Maklouf.
Ms Maklouf fell and her head struck the bitumen. Ventura rendered first aid and waited by her side until an ambulance could take her to Liverpool Hospital.
Ms Maklouf presented in a stable condition with minor injuries, but head scans revealed she suffered intracranial bleeding. Her condition deteriorated over the coming days and she died on September 7, according to court documents.
Ventura had since been diagnosed with personality adjustment disorder, depression and anxiety since the accident, her defence lawyer said.
“(She) accepts responsibility for what she has done,” he said.
“For someone in her position in life … this is a humiliating, traumatising and significant episode. Each day she is traumatised.”
The defence cited Ventura’s clean record, her good driving history and her strong ties to the community.
They said Ventura needed a licence to take care of her 89-year-old mother, who suffers from dementia.
The prosecution accepted the defence’s arguments and did not make an argument in opposition.
Magistrate Theo Tsavdaridis gave a lengthy deliberation before handing down his judgment. He spoke of Ventura’s remorse and volunteer work with primary schools, as well as the seriousness of the accident and the burden it has placed on Ms Maklouf’s family.
“All with whom (Ventura) has come into contact, including those members of the victim’s family … is suggestive of an enormous amount of remorse and contrition on (her) part,” he said.
“She comes before the court for the first time and probably the last time in her life.
“This was an accident rather than an intention or reckless act.”
He said the community would best be served by promoting aspects of rehabilitation.
After citing several case law precedents, the magistrate sentenced Ventura to a nine month intensive corrections order. Her licence was disqualified for a year-and-a-half.