A disability care worker in South Australia has received a suspended sentence after a crash that killed her client and injured a colleague near Victor Harbor in September last year. Mahnoor Malik, 21, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless use of a motor vehicle and aggravated driving without due care.
By ABC
The Adelaide Magistrates Court heard Malik, driving a large van with limited experience, misjudged a late turn and unintentionally hit the accelerator instead of the brake, losing control and striking a tree. The victim, Debbie Johnston, who used a wheelchair and required 24-hour care, was on her first family holiday in years.
Malik was convicted, fined, and given 26 days’ imprisonment suspended on a 12-month good-behaviour bond. She was also fined $360 for the due-care offence relating to her injured co-worker and disqualified from driving for a further month.
The magistrate noted recent law changes increasing maximum penalties for careless driving causing death, and recorded that Malik—an international student—was deeply remorseful, with the court stating the case should not derail her career or migration goals.
