Joanne Marie McAuley jailed for eight years over manslaughter of cyclist Shui Ki Chan

A woman who mowed down a cyclist and left him to die on the side of the road in a “calculated and deliberate” act of road rage has sobbed as she was jailed for her “reprehensible” crime.

A Queensland woman who ran down a young cyclist and left him to die on the side of the road will serve at least eight years in prison for the “reprehensible” crime.

Joanne Marie McAuley, 49, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Shui Ki Chan, 26, whose body was discovered on the side of the Warrego Highway on August 23, 2012.

Crown Prosecutor Clayton Wallis on Monday told the Brisbane Supreme Court that McAuley had been driving along the highway on August 22 when the victim raised his middle finger at her as she passed about 7.30pm.

He said “instead of driving on and forgetting about the incident”, McAuley had taken several turns and travelled more than 2km to double back and come up behind the victim.

“The defendant then approached the deceased and swerved in his direction with the intent to scare him,” Mr Wallis said.

“She was driving a vehicle she was incapable of properly managing for a number of reasons, one the nature of the vehicle itself with a bulbar on the front of it, two the time of night, her driving skills and also her level of anger.

Joanne Marie McAuley has been jailed for manslaughter of Hong Kong national Shui Ki Chan, who she mowed down as he cycled along the Warrego Hwy in August 2012. Picture: Supplied

“As a consequence of her inability to properly manage the vehicle, the defendant drove in such a way that she struck the deceased which was virtually inevitable …”.

Mr Chan, a Hong Kong national, was thrown from his bike onto the grass verge and suffered significant injuries including a fractured pelvis.

McAuley did not stop to help Mr Chan and medical experts were unable to say whether he died from blood loss, shock or hypothermia.

The court heard McAuley had made admissions to about 15 different people about killing Mr Chan, including making racial slurs about her victim, but she was not arrested or charged with his death until eight months after a coronial investigation into his death in late 2017.

The police investigation into Mr Chan’s death was found to be “inadequate” by the coroner.

“The defendant’s conduct in my submission is reprehensible,” Mr Wallis said.

Where Shui Ki Chan was mowed down and left to die. Picture Sarah Fleming

“She engaged in what I have described as protracted and deliberate road rage, she had time for her passion to cool, the fact that she drove up turned around and turned around again and embarked on this, she wasn’t affected by alcohol or drugs, she wasn’t affected by a mental illness, it was deliberation and calculated anger.

“Her behaviour post offence in not stopping to render assistance and also utilising his misery for her self-gain demonstrates a callous indifference in my submission.”

Justice David Boddice sentenced McAuley to 10 years in prison, meaning she was automatically declared a serious violent offender and will have to spend at least 80 per cent of her sentence behind bars before she is eligible for parole.

Joanne McCauley outside the coronial inquest into Shui Ki Chan death.

The 49-year-old woman, who sobbed throughout the sentence, has already spent more than 1200 days in custody and will be eligible for parole in July 2026.

Justice Boddice slammed McAuley’s “disgraceful behaviour”.

“On 22 August 2012 because of sheer rage and nothing else you caused the death of a 26-year-old male who was simply riding a bicycle home from work,” he said.

“Your behaviour on the night evidenced a complete disregard for human life.

“Your behaviour in the days following and in the ensuing years evidenced a complete lack of remorse.

“This conduct was borne out of inexplicable rage and was followed by callousness and elaborate and persistent subterfuge, you conduct is quite properly described as reprehensible.”

Originally published as Joanne Marie McAuley jailed for eight years over manslaughter of cyclist Shui Ki Chan