Man sentenced for crash which killed former Olympian’s wife
The man responsible for a horrific fatal crash which tragically killed the wife of Olympian and renowned swim coach Hamid Mobarrez, has been jailed. The court heard he had a ‘toxic’ level of drugs in his system at the time of the smash.
The South Coast News
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The man responsible for a horrific fatal crash which tragically killed the wife of former Olympian and renowned swim coach Hamid Mobarrez has been sentenced to four years jail.
Chris William Sharp, 41, had been abusing prescription medication and occasionally smoking dope to deal with his deteriorating mental health following the birth of his severely disabled daughter.
The Narrawallee man fuelled by a ‘toxic’ level of alprazolam, a prescription medication used to treat anxiety, got behind the wheel of a silver Volvo and drove along Matron Porter Drive towards Milton on the afternoon January 11 2018. He crossed lanes on an S-bend and collided with the SUV of the Mobarrez family who were travelling to a beach swimming carnival.
Lucy Mobarrez, Hamid’s wife of 12 years, died at the scene, as the former Olympian was flown to hospital for emergency treatment.
An outpouring of support from the Kincoppal-Rose Bay community, where the Mobarrez family were employed as swim coaches, followed the fatal incident with a GoFundMe page raising more than $148,000.
Following the tragedy, Hamid Mobarrez told NewsLocal his wife Tamy was his rock.
“Tamy is not here but she would have been so proud to see how our family is so loved by so many,” he said. “I know she is always going to be watching over me and Eli and guiding us through our tough times.”
Sharp, at an earlier sentence hearing, told the court the tragic crash haunted him every hour of the day.
“I feel sick for (Hamid Mobarrez) and his family,” he said. “And his kid having to grow up without a mum. I’ve crushed his family.”
The 41-year-old man had previously told the court of the impact of his young daughter’s disability, who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and requires constant 24-hour care, on his relationship with his wife.
“We’ve lost our marriage, we are just two carers,” he said.
Judge Richard Weinstein said, despite Sharp’s family situation, the Narrawallee man had made the decision to drive after abusing prescription medication.
“The offender drove while impaired on prescription medication,” he said. “In my view, he has shown an abandonment of his responsibilities.”
Sharp had pleaded guilty to three offences, including dangerous driving occasioning death and two counts of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, and was convicted and sentenced to four year jail.
Mr Weinstein made a finding of exceptional circumstances and placed a non-parole period of one year and two months.