An Indian-origin woman consumed by jealousy over a family photo has been jailed for four years after her high-speed road rage pursuit ended in the death of an innocent man in New Zealand.
Sharanjit Kaur, 40, was sentenced at Hamilton District Court after pleading guilty to reckless driving causing the death of Jonathan “Jono” Baker, a respected Department of Corrections team leader, on June 27 last year.
It is reported in local media that the fatal crash unfolded after Kaur saw a recent photograph of her partner—referred to in court as “Mr R”—with his wife and family at an Indian restaurant. Enraged by the image, which showed Mrs R’s hand on her husband’s shoulder and her wedding ring clearly visible, Kaur confronted her partner and later lay in wait for his wife outside a school assembly.
Court documents revealed that Kaur followed Mrs R at high speed, tailgating, brake-checking, and attempting to intimidate her. She drove recklessly on the wrong side of Boyd Road at speeds between 125–136 km/h before cresting a hill and smashing into Baker’s oncoming vehicle. He died instantly from a ruptured aorta. Kaur sustained minor injuries.
Baker, 49, had been on his way to drop off his car for a service after visiting a colleague. His wife Andrea, who delivered an emotional victim impact statement, recalled their final exchange that morning; how he’d made her a coffee, said “I love you”, before giving her a cheeky smile and leaving for the day.
“I cried… I yelled,” she told the court.
“My heart is almost constantly consumed by [his] loss and trying to work out my new normal.”
Though Baker’s widow later said her Christian faith compelled her to forgive Kaur, other family members expressed deep anger and disbelief. Colleen White, Baker’s mother-in-law, said: “Her vicious, self-centred actions shattered our daughter’s life,” she said.
“The mistress chasing the wife… is beyond comprehension, it’s like a bad novel.”
Crown prosecutor Kasey Dillon described Kaur’s driving as “persistent and dangerous,” triggered entirely by rage. She noted Kaur’s history of speeding, including accumulating 65 demerit points.
Kaur’s lawyer, Anjeet Singh, argued for home detention, citing years of mental health decline and emotional distress from a tumultuous eight-year affair. A clinical psychologist diagnosed her with a chronic psychological deterioration, worsened by the photo incident, which triggered what was described as a “psychological collapse.”
Judge Arthur Tompkins rejected the plea for leniency, citing the gravity of the offence and the loss of an innocent life. Starting from a five-year sentence, he granted a 20% discount for Kaur’s guilty plea and imposed a four-year prison term and a five-year driving disqualification.
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