Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2013 9:30:37 GMT 10
... after killing a young mother and destroying her family's lives in the process. And only sentenced to a year and 9 months in prison by a loony judge who hasn't got a clue about community concerns that some p-platers are crazy idiots behind the wheel and must be removed from the roads to protect innocent motorists.
One year and nine months for the life of this beautiful young mother is outrageous and the sentence should be appealed. A three year old child will now grow up without her mother but the killer will be back on the streets in less than 2 years!
Now lets's see .... he was drunk behind the wheel of a powerful V8, (which I thought P-drivers weren't allowed to drive) and his licence was already suspended at the time. And the judge thinks one year and 9 months for death caused by dangerous, drunken driving will send a strong message to other P-plate drivers to act more responsibly and lawfully on the roads??
Catherine Taylor - a life taken by sheer stupidity
Peter Bodkin
The Daily Telegraph
March 02, 20 1312:00AM
Catherine Taylor on her wedding day in October 2009. Source: The Daily Telegraph
A DRUNK P-plater whose out-of-control driving killed a young mother and robbed a loving family of their "nexus" will spend a year and nine months behind bars.
Catherine Taylor, 24, was driving to work early on a Friday morning in 2011 when her car was ripped apart in a horror collision.
She was crushed in a head-on smash with a V8 Holden Commodore driven by Steven Michael O'Donnell, which spun out of control after he accelerated through a roundabout at Kellyville, in Sydney's north-west.
Ms Taylor, of Dural, left behind her husband Cameron and the couple's three-year-old daughter, Zara-Addison, along with her parents and other grieving family members.
O'Donnell, 22, of Cranbrook, sped through a roundabout on Green Rd before his powerful car slid sideways.
It struck a concrete median strip in the middle of the road and then became airborne and slammed into Ms Taylor's Toyota Corolla, crushing the driver's side of the vehicle.
O'Donnell later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving occasioning death while under the influence - with the court told he had an estimated blood-alcohol level of .106 when he crashed.
His licence was also suspended at the time he got behind the wheel and he told police he had been drinking the night before the crash.
In a victim impact statement, Ms Taylor's mother Carol Dodds said her daughter had been robbed of a chance to fight for her life because her death had happened so quickly.
"Catherine was the nexus in the family, providing support to all," Mrs Dodds said.
"She was the collector of birds with broken wings, both metaphorically and in actuality."
Since the crash, Ms Taylor's family have campaigned for parents of P-platers to enrol their children in advanced driver courses to potentially save others' lives in the future.
Mr Taylor also met with Attorney-General Greg Smith shortly after the accident in a bid to have tougher laws introduced for unlicensed drivers.
But in her statement, Ms Dodds said her family still did not understand why the penalties for dangerous driving were so lenient.
"How does this serve as a deterrent to other drivers who so carelessly put other road users and pedestrians' lives at risk?" she said.
"And, almost always, it seems to involve young people, sadly."
In the Parramatta District Court yesterday, Judge Chris Craigie sentenced O'Donnell to at least a year and nine months in prison, with a maximum term of 3½ years.
The 22-year-old, who suffered only minor injuries in the crash, including a sore hand, was also banned from driving for three years.
- See more at: www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/catherine-taylor-a-life-taken-by-sheer-stupidity/story-e6freuy9-1226588776661#sthash.pvzswtlB.dpuf
One year and nine months for the life of this beautiful young mother is outrageous and the sentence should be appealed. A three year old child will now grow up without her mother but the killer will be back on the streets in less than 2 years!
Now lets's see .... he was drunk behind the wheel of a powerful V8, (which I thought P-drivers weren't allowed to drive) and his licence was already suspended at the time. And the judge thinks one year and 9 months for death caused by dangerous, drunken driving will send a strong message to other P-plate drivers to act more responsibly and lawfully on the roads??
Catherine Taylor - a life taken by sheer stupidity
Peter Bodkin
The Daily Telegraph
March 02, 20 1312:00AM
Catherine Taylor on her wedding day in October 2009. Source: The Daily Telegraph
A DRUNK P-plater whose out-of-control driving killed a young mother and robbed a loving family of their "nexus" will spend a year and nine months behind bars.
Catherine Taylor, 24, was driving to work early on a Friday morning in 2011 when her car was ripped apart in a horror collision.
She was crushed in a head-on smash with a V8 Holden Commodore driven by Steven Michael O'Donnell, which spun out of control after he accelerated through a roundabout at Kellyville, in Sydney's north-west.
Ms Taylor, of Dural, left behind her husband Cameron and the couple's three-year-old daughter, Zara-Addison, along with her parents and other grieving family members.
O'Donnell, 22, of Cranbrook, sped through a roundabout on Green Rd before his powerful car slid sideways.
It struck a concrete median strip in the middle of the road and then became airborne and slammed into Ms Taylor's Toyota Corolla, crushing the driver's side of the vehicle.
O'Donnell later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving occasioning death while under the influence - with the court told he had an estimated blood-alcohol level of .106 when he crashed.
His licence was also suspended at the time he got behind the wheel and he told police he had been drinking the night before the crash.
In a victim impact statement, Ms Taylor's mother Carol Dodds said her daughter had been robbed of a chance to fight for her life because her death had happened so quickly.
"Catherine was the nexus in the family, providing support to all," Mrs Dodds said.
"She was the collector of birds with broken wings, both metaphorically and in actuality."
Since the crash, Ms Taylor's family have campaigned for parents of P-platers to enrol their children in advanced driver courses to potentially save others' lives in the future.
Mr Taylor also met with Attorney-General Greg Smith shortly after the accident in a bid to have tougher laws introduced for unlicensed drivers.
But in her statement, Ms Dodds said her family still did not understand why the penalties for dangerous driving were so lenient.
"How does this serve as a deterrent to other drivers who so carelessly put other road users and pedestrians' lives at risk?" she said.
"And, almost always, it seems to involve young people, sadly."
In the Parramatta District Court yesterday, Judge Chris Craigie sentenced O'Donnell to at least a year and nine months in prison, with a maximum term of 3½ years.
The 22-year-old, who suffered only minor injuries in the crash, including a sore hand, was also banned from driving for three years.
- See more at: www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/catherine-taylor-a-life-taken-by-sheer-stupidity/story-e6freuy9-1226588776661#sthash.pvzswtlB.dpuf
