James Austin sentenced to prison over manslaughter of mum-of-four Jacqui Lee Bergman

A former partner has been sentenced over the manslaughter of mother-of-four Jacqui Lee Bergman over two years since her death. The latest from court.

Leanne Walford holding a picture of daughter Jacqui Purton. No More: National Rally Against Violence in Hobart. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

There were audible gasps in the public gallery of a Hobart courtroom on Thursday as a 40-year-old man who ran over and killed his partner at Campania two years ago was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment.

James Kenneth Austin appeared in Supreme Court before Justice Michael Brett after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of 37-year-old Jacqui Lee Bergman.

Campania man James Austin, 38, has been charged with murdering Tasmanian mother Jacqui Bergman in the early hours of March 13.

Ms Bergman, a mother of four, died after being struck by Austin’s Holden Commodore as she attempted to leave his rural property in the early hours of 13 March, 2023.

In sentencing Austin to serve at least eight years in jail before becoming eligible for parole, Justice Brett said the defendant had been motivated by a desire to “intimidate, threaten, and frighten” Ms Bergman when he drove his vehicle at her.

Justice Brett said while prosecutors had not alleged Austin meant to hit or kill Ms Bergman, he had displayed a high degree of culpable negligence in disregarding her life and safety.

Victim impact statements read to the court earlier this week revealed Ms Bergman’s death had had a devastating impact in her extended family, in what had accurately been described as “a completely needless and pointless death”, Justice Brett said.

The court heard Austin had driven his car at his partner on numerous occasions during the course of their intermittent, four-year relationship, with Ms Bergman regularly suffering bruising from her evasive efforts.

Justice Brett said while it was likely Austin had expected his partner to again jump away from the path of his moving vehicle, it was clear that this had not occurred on this occasion.

“She might not have moved out of the way because she trusted you not to hit her,” Justice Brett told the defendant.

Jacqui Bergman. Picture: Facebook

The court heard that after the collision, Austin did not perform CPR on Ms Bergman as she lay injured on the gravel driveway, had lied to police about her whereabouts, and had asked his infirm father to drive her body to the property’s front gates to meet ambulance crews.

“Your actions were cold-blooded, callous, and selfish to an extent which is difficult to describe in words,” Justice Brett told Austin.

Outside court, members of Ms Bergman’s family said while Austin’s jail term was longer than they anticipated, no sentence would be enough to reflect the gravity of the crime.

Describing her mother as “beautiful and loving”, Shakira Robertson said her family would be pushing Tasmanian parliamentarians to pass “Jacqui’s Law”, which would provide greater legal protection for victims of domestic violence.

Ms Bergman’s mother, Leanne Walford, said her daughter always thought of others before herself, and that her memory would never be stolen from her family.

Leanne Walford holding a picture of daughter Jacqui Bergman. No More: National Rally Against Violence in Hobart. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Holding a framed photo of Ms Bergman, Ms Walford said her child “was more than just a case file.”

“This isn’t over, it’s just the beginning,” Ms Walford said of the ongoing campaign for legal reform.

“Everybody will know Jacqui’s name.”

Originally published as James Austin sentenced to prison over manslaughter of mum-of-four Jacqui Lee Bergman