Death driver in hot hatch

[okiedoke]

An unlicensed driver whose reckless speeding caused an accident that killed three people was today sentenced to a minimum of nine months in prison.

Katrina Ann Olive, 24, who was convicted in October last year of three counts of dangerous driving causing death, last month also pleaded guilty to driving without a licence and providing police with a false name.

District Court Chief Justice Antoinette Kennedy today sentenced Olive to 18 months prison for each of the dangerous driving charges and six months prison for driving without a licence, to be served concurrently.

She will be eligible for parole after nine months.

Olive was fined $100 for giving police a false name and was disqualified from driving for an additional two years, on top of a previous 18 months licence suspension.

The court heard that on the night of March 7, 2008, Olive, whose driver's licence was suspended at the time, was speeding along the Great Northern Highway near Midland and overtook a red Hyundai sedan shortly before the road narrowed to one lane.

The Hyundai driver, 20-year-old Christopher Helwig, swerved to the left to avoid colliding with Olive's car. He lost control of his vehicle, which then spun into the oncoming Holden Commodore of 59-year-old David Rose.

Mr Rose and Mr Helwig's 16-year-old passenger, Dylan Sharpe, died at the scene. Mr Helwig died the next morning in Royal Perth Hospital.

In a statement given to the media outside court, Dylan Sharpe's mother Cheryl said: "That night Katrina Olive chose to get into her car and drive recklessly without a licence. It shows you she has no respect for law, road rules or life itself and simply no common sense. No matter the outcome of the sentencing today, I do believe in karma and Katrina Olive has it coming in threes."

She said Olive had not shown remorse "at any stage, even laughing through court appearances."

In sentencing Olive, Judge Kennedy said Olive had an "exemplary record apart from your record on the road."

She said that people who lost their licence should be forced to do refresher courses, similar to those taken by the elderly.

[okiedoke]

The court heard that on the night of March 7, 2008, Olive, whose driver's licence was suspended at the time, was speeding along the Great Northern Highway near Midland and overtook a red Hyundai sedan shortly before the road narrowed to one lane.

The Hyundai driver, 20-year-old Christopher Helwig, swerved to the left to avoid colliding with Olive's car. He lost control of his vehicle, which then spun into the oncoming Holden Commodore of 59-year-old David Rose.

This is my pet hate on the roads...is it really so important to gain ONE place in the queue?

[SpeedTrip]

on top of a previous 18 months licence suspension.

In sentencing Olive, Judge Kennedy said Olive had an "exemplary record apart from your record on the road."

How can she have an exemplary record if she has an 18mth suspended licence?

[Brougham]

nine months...even after:

"She said Olive had not shown remorse "at any stage, even laughing through court appearances.""

[Brougham]

How can she have an exemplary record if she has an 18mth suspended licence?

i think they meant in life. as in, everything else she did was exemplary, EXCEPT for when she was behind the wheel.

[SpeedTrip]

i think they meant in life. as in, everything else she did was exemplary, EXCEPT for when she was behind the wheel.

I'll have to remember to bring up my exemplary driving record up, next time I punch someone.

[Brougham]

cant hurt. she only got 18mths in total for 3 lives...

[okiedoke]

so 3 blokes dead...adding to the stats that say young men are killing themselves on the roads. Meanwhile the shiela that caused it all drives off into the sunset without a scratch.

[The Saint]

In sentencing Olive, Judge Kennedy said Olive had an "exemplary record apart from your record on the road."

Well - apart from lying to the police, that is.

Olive last month also pleaded guilty to providing police with a false name.

[Fonzy]

its a bit of a disgrace. have a hand in killing 3 people, 18 month in jail....fuck, i'd get more time for selling crack in northbridge

[Sweetcheeks]

David Rose was a friend of mine. So i was disgusted and upset with the outcome of this. Once again, a failing in the justice system.

[Lefty]

David Rose was a friend of mine. So i was disgusted and upset with the outcome of this. Once again, a failing in the justice system.

How has the justice system failed?

[The Saint]

What's with the thread title?

[jackmbee]

How has the justice system failed?

Maybe 9 months for causing the death of 3 people could be considered to not be "justice"?

Yes she has been found guilty, but does the punishment fit the crime is what I believe is being questioned.

[mewnz]

We don't have a justice system, we have a legal system

9 months for offing 3 people is ridiculous, and her licence suspension is laughable to, not to mention the fact that they are suspending someones licence who is known to still drive anyway... jesus

[Lefty]

Maybe 9 months for causing the death of 3 people could be considered to not be "justice"?

Yes she has been found guilty, but does the punishment fit the crime is what I believe is being questioned.

She'll serve a minimum of nine months.

She made an error of judgement. It's not as though she set out to murder them. There's no malicious act or intent involved here. She fucked up, it's terribly unfortunate. According to our local laws and practices, she's been punished.

If you've got a problem with it, write to your local member rather than bleating about a perceived miscarriage of justice on a motorcycle forum...

[Mckenzie]

How has the justice system failed?

You really dont see a problem here? Seriously?

Her actions caused the death of three people, and she gets a slap on the wrist.
Yeah, the system works...

[jackmbee]

We don't have a justice system, we have a legal system

9 months for offing 3 people is ridiculous, and her licence suspension is laughable to, not to mention the fact that they are suspending someones licence who is known to still drive anyway... jesus

semantics.

The legal system

The WA court system
Courts in Western Australia are administered by the Department of the Attorney General. The judiciary presides over the courts and delivers justice to the community through sentencing in criminal cases and rulings in civil cases. The judiciary - which includes all judges and magistrates - is the third, independent arm of government.

[okiedoke]

What's with the thread title?

Meh...I musta been a newspaper headline writer in a former life.
Course, I didn't really read the article properly first, I just saw 'hyundai' in the article and assumed she was in an excel with a playboy sticker on the back and a coffee tin exhaust.

[jackmbee]

You really dont see a problem here? Seriously?

Her actions caused the death of three people, and she gets a slap on the wrist.
Yeah, the system works...

Surely a slap on the wrist would have been no jail time at all?

9 months would be no walk in the park and will change her life forever. It doesn't appear that she was intoxicated from the media reporting or that she intentionally caused the accident, she simply exercised very poor judgement.

Most of us at some time in our life will make an error in judgement, most often this will not have the horrifying consequences that her error has.