Bhupinder Singh has been sentenced to more than five years in jail for causing the death of 40-year-old Christine Sandford in a high-speed crash at Windsor Gardens in Adelaide’s north-east.
It was reported that the 24-year-old international student was behind the wheel of a friend’s high-powered Ford Mustang, travelling at nearly 100 kilometres per hour over the speed limit, when he slammed into Sandford’s car on North East Road on the night of 18 March 2023.
Sandford, a mother-of-two, had left her home just 500 metres away to buy cooking oil. She was turning into a nearby petrol station when Singh’s car struck hers with such force that it pushed her vehicle 30 metres down the road. She died at the scene.
ABC reports that the District Court Judge Paul Muscat said the fatal collision was “totally avoidable” and described Singh’s driving as “astonishingly dangerous.”
“You were tailgating and flashing your high beams … you were swerving around other cars at high-speed. The risk that you posed to other persons driving at the speed at which you did must have been obvious to you.”
The court heard Singh was driving at 160kph just 2.5 seconds before impact. Data from the vehicle confirmed he had been weaving through traffic in a reckless attempt to reach the Adelaide Fringe festival.
It is reported that Judge Muscat also rejected a bid for Singh to serve his sentence on home detention, despite submissions that the practising Sikh had faced religious hardship in custody, including ridicule, dietary challenges, and an inability to maintain his long hair due to prison conditions.
Singh, who pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, was sentenced to five years, two months and 21 days in prison, with a non-parole period of four years and two months.
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
