A woman sentenced to a year in jail for her involvement in an crash that killed a mother and several children will appeal the decision at the Griffith District Court.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Wendy Elizabeth Chattaway was handed a 12-month jail sentence in the Griffith Local Court on April 4 for the charges of not disclosing identity of driver/passenger as required and hindering a police investigation.
The 51-year-old pleaded guilty to the charges while a third charge - predatory driving - was dropped in February.
The matter relates to an accident that killed Yanco woman Tanya Murphy and several children last year.
Her solicitor Chelsea Connell asked for a community corrections order, pointing to effects the incident and subsequent events had on her client's mental health.
However Magistrate Trevor Khan rejected the idea it was a form of 'extra-curial' punishment to be considered when evaluating sentence.
"With regards to backlash on social media, I'm not persuaded it should be given weight. People choose to be on it. They have a choice to turn it off," Magistrate Khan said.
"I understand she has expressed remorse over the tragedy but I'm not convinced as to her depth of remorse for lying to police."
The Crown, Jessica Dawson, said Chattaway failed to disclose to police the identity of another person in the car with her on the night of the crash.
Ms Dawson said her plea of guilty was an acknowledgement "she did not have a reasonable excuse for not telling the police".
"The crown submits there was nothing to be gained from withholding [a co-accused] - I accept that," Magistrate Khan said.
"She knew of the tragedy and one would have expected any member of the public to be forthright. Her failure in my view is inexplicable."
Magistrate Khan accepted the prospect of rehabilitation in the community, but noted the offending as different to other matters that carry such sentences.
"This is an extreme case of lying to police and an intention to help a co-accused avoid detection," he said.
"I'm of the view this should remind the community of their obligations to work with police."
Magistrate Khan gave Chattaway an aggregate sentence of nine months non parole. She would be eligible for release on January 3, 2025.
However, Chattaway later appealed the decision and was granted bail to appear in the Griffith District Court on May 13.
