Storm Tientjes pleads guilty to causing Good Friday road tragedy that claimed life of Indian tourist

A young woman has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death, more than a year after a Copping road crash that claimed the life of an Indian tourist. What will happen now >

Tasmanian woman Storm Cecilia Tientjes has pleaded guilty to causing the death of a female tourist last year by dangerous driving. Picture: Facebook

A young Tasmanian woman has pleaded guilty to causing a Good Friday road tragedy that claimed the life of an Indian tourist.

More than a year after the fatal collision at Copping, Storm Cecilia Tientjes appeared in the Supreme Court of Tasmania on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving causing death, dating back to April 7 last year.

Tasmanian woman Storm Cecilia Tientjes has pleaded guilty to causing the death of a female tourist last year by dangerous driving. Picture: Instagram

Justice Helen Wood was told the Crown was yet to prepare the facts of the case, but these would be read to the court next month.

Justice Wood also heard the victim’s husband had returned to India, so the Crown needed time to reach out to him to prepare a victim impact statement.

The 27-year-old’s plea of guilty comes after she had maintained a plea of not guilty for nine months, indicating she would take the matter to trial this year.

Tientjes was initially granted bail after the crash, but a warrant for her arrest was issued last May when she failed to appear for a court date, with a magistrate fearing she could be a flight risk.

After she was taken back into custody and next appeared in court, Tientjes broke down – crying and hyperventilating – when told she would be remanded during proceedings.

The Mercury previously reported the fatal crash occurred following a two-vehicle crash between a white MG SUV and Tientjes’ Toyota Camry on the Arthur Highway.

The male driver of the MG suffered minor injuries and was transported to the Royal Hobart Hospital, but his wife tragically died.

The scene of a last year’s road crash at Copping. Picture: Linda Higginson

Tientjes and her female passenger were also taken to hospital with minor injuries.

She will return to court for a sentencing hearing in June, and has been remanded in custody.

Tientjes has previously pleaded not guilty in the Hobart Magistrates Court to a number of other charges arising from the same incident – including driving while not holding a licence, using an unregistered motor vehicle, dishonestly displaying or altering a plate in a way calculated to deceive, and failing to comply with a requirement for taking of blood for analysis.

She also pleaded not guilty to assaulting a female police constable the day after the fatal crash by allegedly headbutting her to the face.

Follow @ambervwilson