Monica Mecham: Belrose drunk driver who ran over her neighbour has jail sentence overturned
A northern beaches’ woman jailed for 12 months for nearly killing her neighbour after she got in her car while five times over the limit, has had a decision handed down on her bid for freedom.
Manly
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The family of a woman nearly killed when she was run over by her drink driving neighbour has been left shocked and angered at a court decision to overturn the driver’s jail sentence.
Lorraine Gooden was on her daily morning walk at Belrose when she was struck by a Mercedes driven by Monica Louise Mecham, who was five times over the limit.
The disability and aged care worker had decided to get behind the wheel with a blood alcohol reading of 0.278 after a drinking binge, before she headed to work at 9.30am on May 9 last year.
She told police she had two bottles of wine the night before and vodka on the morning of the incident.
But when Mecham tried to negotiate a right-hand bend on Pringle Ave, her hatchback left the road and hit Mrs Gooden, 46, from behind.
Mrs Gooden’s head shattered the car’s windscreen before she was thrown 10 metres into a low brick wall by the impact.
She spent 10 days in Royal North Shore Hospital for treatment to a fractured left wrist and facial lacerations. She also had surgery on her left shoulder and was left with memory loss due to a traumatic brain injury.
By coincidence the two women, who were not friends, knew each other. Their homes share the same back fence and they had spoken briefly to each other several times.
The injured woman, and her husband Nick and their two children Breyton, 15 and Maddison, 12, have now put their house up for sale.
Mr Gooden said his wife feared going into the back garden because she sometimes sees Mecham over the fence.
“Monica lives behind us,” he said. “We need to move away. Lorraine has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome.”
Mecham was sentenced by Magistrate Mark Richardson in Manly Local Court in January to 12 months in jail, with a seven-month non-parole period, after pleading guilty to high-range drink driving. It was her second high-range conviction in five years.
Mecham was also disqualified from driving for 10 months.
She immediately appealed the jail sentence.
In the Sydney Downing Centre District Court last week, Judge Deborah Sweeney upheld the appeal and sentenced Mecham instead to a 12-month Intensive Corrections Order to be served in the community.
Judge Sweeney also ordered that Mecham continue treatment for alcohol abuse disorder, attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and continue taking antidepressants “as long as your doctor considers necessary”.
“My doctor said I was lucky to be alive,” Mrs Gooden said outside Manly Local Court in January.
Mr Gooden told the Manly Daily today that Mecham’s psychologist tendered a letter to the District Court that she was a low risk of reoffending.
“She has avoided jail and can now drive again,” Mr Gooden said.
“It was basically no punishment, which I think is an absolute disgrace.”
Mr Gooden said he asked the Crown prosecutor if they could appeal Judge Sweeney’s decision and was told no.
“I want to know how that can happen. We walked away thinking this is just ridiculous.
“The message we got was that if you’ve got a drinking problem, if you’ve got a mental problem, you’re basically not responsible for your actions.
“There are no repercussions for (Mecham) at all.
“But Lorraine still has injuries, she still has to go to psychologists. This is going to be a lifelong thing for her.”
The DPP does not comment on individual cases.
The Manly Daily attempted to contact Ms Mecham.