Young mum Amelia Fennell jailed over Oak Flats crash that killed elderly woman
A young mother-of-two has been jailed over a crash that claimed the life of a “kind and gentle” elderly woman at Oak Flats in 2017.
Illawarra Star
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A young Illawarra mum will spend at least the next year behind bars, after she hit and killed an elderly woman while travelling almost 20km/h over the speed limit in a high-pedestrian area south of Wollongong.
Twenty-five-year-old Amelia Fennell was sentenced to three years jail with a non-parole period of 12 months by Judge Andrew Haesler at Wollongong District Court on Monday, after a jury took just two hours in August to find her guilty of dangerous driving that resulted in the death of 78-year-old Barbara Jones.
Mrs Jones had just stepped off a pedestrian ramp to cross the road at Central Ave, Oak Flats, when Fennell hit her with her red Holden Commodore, following a heated argument with her boss at a nearby shop.
Mrs Jones was flown to St George Hospital with severe injuries to her head and lower body, but tragically passed away two days after the crash.
During the trial, The Crown argued Fennell was speeding at the time and did not hit the brakes before the fatal impact.
The jury heard Fennell hit speeds of 58km/h an hour in the 40km/h zone, when she “came through the roundabout at speed and collided with Ms Jones, throwing her into the air”.
The defence argued that while she was speeding, the collision was “unavoidable,’’ as Ms Jones had stepped out from behind an illegally parked Armaguard truck.
In handing down Fennell’s sentence on Monday, Judge Haesler said the young woman, who has a seven-year-old and four-month old, had shown significant remorse for her actions, but had neglected her responsibility as a driver.
“An innocent woman out shopping was killed as a result of Fennell’s seriously criminal driving,” he said.
“Nothing she does for the rest of her life, nothing I can do to her, can ever bring Mrs Jones back or compensate her family for their loss. That loss was senseless and permanent.”
He also noted that while she did not have a criminal record, her driving record was “not unblemished”.
“Her traffic record is not a good one,” he said.
“She has three speeding matters from 2014 and 2016, the last for speeding at a roundabout, were she admitted she wasn’t paying attention.”
Due to the fact Fennell has a young baby and is still breastfeeding, Judge Haesler said he would refer her to the Mothers and Children’s Program facility at Jacaranda House, where mothers in custody can have their baby with them.
“The removal of women from the family can result in a fracturing of the family unit,” he said.
“When a mother is incarcerated there is often a significant disruption in the family and an increased risk the children will end up in the child protection system or potentially in the criminal justice system.”
Mrs Jones’s family was present for the sentencing on Monday, and in a victim impact statement tendered to the court, described her as a “kind gentle woman, who was the mainstay of the family.”
Fennell, who is now in custody at Silverwater Women’s Correctional Centre, will be eligible for release to parole on November 7 2020.