A 21-year-old disability care worker has been spared jail after a tragic crash near Victor Harbor that killed her client and injured a colleague.
Pakistani-origin Mahnoor Malik pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving and aggravated driving without due care after the September 2023 crash that claimed the life of 59-year-old grandmother Debbie Johnston.
It is reported by the ABC that the Adelaide Magistrates Court heard Malik mistakenly hit the accelerator instead of the brake while attempting a turn at the intersection of Port Elliot and Ocean roads. Driving a large van below the speed limit, she lost control and ploughed into vegetation before crashing into a tree.
Ms Johnston, who required a wheelchair and 24-hour care, was on a long-awaited family holiday when she was killed. ABC reports that a victim impact statement described her as a much-loved wife, mother and grandmother.
According to the ABC, Magistrate John Clover said Malik was inexperienced with large vehicles and had shown immediate remorse. He noted she collapsed in distress after the crash and made frank admissions to the police.
“The sentence cannot adequately reflect the value of Ms Johnston’s life, nor the impact her death has had on the family,”
he said.
Malik, who is in Australia on a student visa from Pakistan, was convicted and sentenced to 26 days in prison, but the term was suspended in favour of a 12-month good behaviour bond. She was fined $360 for injuring her colleague and disqualified from driving for an additional month.
Magistrate Clover, as per ABC, acknowledged Malik’s “deep remorse” and said the tragedy should not derail her career or migration goals.
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