Fury at ‘disgusting’ sentence for ice crash
A South Australian truck driver who killed his 22-year-old passenger while driving under the influence of ice has been jailed for more than three years.
The victim's grieving family were visibly upset in court, with the young man's mother screaming as the sentencing was handed down, and criticising the ruling as "disgusting" and saying it acts as "no deterrent".
David Edward Goddard, 58, killed Shane Zelenko when his truck slammed into a tree at Tanunda, in the Barossa Valley, in 2017.
In sentencing today, District Court Judge Joanne Tracey said the pair were on their way back from a worksite, where Goddard had been seen smoking ice several times a day.
She said the rebound effects of methamphetamine combined with sleep deprivation proved deadly, and the truck's speed fluctuated and drifted before the crash.
"You would have had great difficulty maintaining attention on the road, and this could have resulted in the reported manner of your driving prior to the collision as well as the nature of the collision," she said.
Judge Tracey said Mr Zelenko was a "much-loved person" and his death had taken a great toll on his family and friends, who were present in court for the sentencing.
"He was only young, had a partner and was looking forward to fulfilling all the plans that he and his partner had made," she said.
"Clearly, from what I have been told by his family and friends, there is profound grief and lives have been shattered by his tragic and unnecessary death."
She sentenced Goddard to three years and six months in jail with a non-parole period of two years and nine months.
The victim's family were visibly distraught during the sentencing, according to multiple reports, with his mother Joanne Wynne reportedly screaming during the sentencing.
Immediately after the sentence, emotions boiled over as Ms Wynne criticised the ruling, calling it "disgusting" and saying it acted as "no deterrent".
"My son is worth more than two years and nine months," she said outside court.
