Killer son jailed after elderly parents perish in tragic Mornington Peninsula smash
Dramatic scenes have played out in the County Court with a Cranbourne West woman left weeping uncontrollably as her husband learned his fate over a tragic smash which claimed the lives of his elderly parents on the Mornington Peninsula.
South East
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A man whose elderly parents were killed when he ran a give way sign on the Mornington Peninsula has been jailed.
Dimin Wan, 53, was sentenced to 18 months’ jail in the County Court after the horror Balnarring smash which claimed the lives of his mother Qian Shen, 85, and father Jiazhu Wan, 86, on May 13 last year.
Wan’s wife cried hysterically as she said her final goodbyes before her husband was taken into custody on Friday.
The court heard Wan had taken his parents, who were visiting from China, on a day trip to the Mornington Peninsula but decided to head home after Mr Wan claimed he felt unwell.
Wan was driving along Myers Rd when his father, who was sitting in the back seat with Ms Shen, began to groan about 1.30pm.
Wan briefly turned his head and glanced at his rear view mirror out of concern for his father, before running over rumble strips and passing a give way sign at Coolart Rd.
A truck travelling about 80km/h along Coolart Rd collected the family’s Mitsubishi wagon, with the driver’s dashcam capturing the moment Wan’s parents died.
Last week, Wan’s family pleaded for the former fish and chip shop owner from Cranbourne West to be spared jail time, claiming they “forgave” their relative for his “mistake”.
Wan’s sister said her parents were “not in good health”, with Mr Wan suffering from diabetes.
“ (Mr Wan and Ms Shen) wouldn’t like to see Dimin tortured mentally this late in life
… they would definitely wish that Dimin has a peaceful life,” she said.
Wan’s lawyer said his client — who had no criminal or traffic infringement history — was “unable to function” without the support of his wife following the incident and could not sleep, drink or eat properly after experiencing depression and suicidal ideations.
Ms Carlin noted Wan’s good character but said it was “unfathomable” how he missed “so many warning signs”.
“Your concern for your father does not explain why you were distracted for so long or you continued driving at all … let alone at such speed,” she said.
“When it comes to your type of offending you exposed your passengers and other road users to a significant risk of significant harm, as was borne out by the fact that two people died.
“The level of inattention was profound … it really is unfathomable how you could have missed so many warning signs as well as the intersection itself.
“(You’re) a person of good character who unfortunately made this one mistake with tragic consequences.”
Wan pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving causing death and was jailed for 18 months with a non-parole period of nine months.
His driver’s licence was disqualified for 18 months.
brittany.goldsmith@news.com.au
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