The man high on ice who smashed into a car and a pedestrian fatally killing three in Oakleigh has been sentenced to 16 years jail.
Nei Lima Da Costa, 29, pleaded guilty to three counts of culpable driving causing death and several other charges including negligently causing injury and recklessly causing injury.
Two of the dead were Savvas, 67, and his wife of 38 years, Ismini Menelaou, 59, who were returning from a wedding in January before Da Costa crashed into their sedan. Three other family members, including their son Menelaos, his uncle and aunt, Elias, 60, and Maria Mesaritis, 55, were all seriously injured.
Savvas and Ismini’s son Jim Menelaou spoke to the media outside the court, and said no jail sentence would change what had happened or bring his parents back. He said the case was proof that it was time politicians did something about ice addicts.
“A lot of red tape prohibits the government or the courts from setting examples, setting a serious sentence,” Mr Menelaou said.
He said no example to ice addicts had been set by the judge in this case.
Da Costa was seen driving erratically before the incident, and ran through a red light before coming to a stop after smashing into the Menelaou’s sedan at more than 120 kilometres per hour.
Justice Lex Lasry said the result of the crash was “nothing less than a massive tragedy”.
“In only a few seconds you’ve done something that affects the life of dozens of people,” Justice Lasry said.
“This was no sudden lapse. It occurred over 14 kilometres of reckless driving on your part.”
Justice Lasry said the sentence should act as a warning for anyone using ice and deplored the reality that many of the cases seen at the courts have been committed under the influence of drugs.
Family members of the deceased packed the Supreme Court of Melbourne on Wednesday to see the verdict handed down.
The pedestrian killed in the crash was Anthony Parsons, 45, a vision-impaired British civil servant.
Mr Parsons was walking just ahead of his wife while crossing then intersection of Warrigal Road and Dandenong Road, until he was flung 50 metres down the road after the impact.
His wife who was unharmed watched the incident happen right in front of her. She and her husband had been celebrating their 10 year wedding anniversary.
Da Costa sat in the dock with his eyes shut tightly as the sentence was read out.
Prosecutors called the accident the worst case of culpable driving ever in Victoria.
Driving cases are normally heard in the County Court, but the case was upgraded to the Supreme Court to match the severity of the crash.
Da Costa will serve a minimum of 11 years.
Source: ABC, The Age