A drug user who crashed and killed his girlfriend after running a red light has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Jahleel Delaine Ahirau Berryman, 28, drove a stolen BMW through a red light in April last year and crashed into a Mitsubishi Magna, killing front-seat passenger Kerry Bodney, 31. His son Robert was killed nine years earlier.
The Supreme Court of Western Australia heard on Tuesday that Berryman’s passengers screamed in fear as he sped towards the intersection of Beach Road and Mirrabooka Avenue in Perth’s north.
The court heard that Berryman, who did not have a valid driving licence, was wearing a balaclava and was under the influence of cannabis and methamphetamine, was already driving erratically when he decided to run a red light.
The surviving passengers shouted at Berryman to stop, but instead he accelerated to 79 mph in a 70 km/h zone.
After the BMW was hit by the Mitsubishi, the force of the impact caused it to spin and roll over several times.
Mrs Bodney was thrown 50 feet from the car and was seriously injured.
She was rushed to hospital, where she died a short time later.
Jahleel Berryman, 28, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for the death of Kerry Bodney, 31, who was killed in a car he recklessly crashed at a red light
Another passenger, Tiana Winmar, was also thrown from the car and spent 10 weeks in hospital recovering from her injuries.
Another unnamed passenger was also seriously injured.
Witness statements from the time were read out in court, with one of them saying he had never seen anything like it. ABC reported
After the crash, CCTV footage showed Berryman, who miraculously escaped unharmed, turning to look in the direction of Mrs Bodey and his other seriously injured passengers before fleeing the scene.
He was later arrested and high levels of drugs were found in his system.
Berryman was charged with manslaughter of Ms. Bodney, aggravated assault of Ms. Winmar and aggravated assault of the other passenger.
In July, he pleaded guilty to all charges.
In Tuesday’s ruling, Supreme Court of Western Australia Justice Bruno Fiannaca said Berryman behaved badly and showed “clear disregard” for the lives he endangered.
“You did nothing to render assistance, but you evaded capture,” he said.
Kerry Bodney (pictured left) with her two-year-old son Robert, who was murdered by her ex-partner in 2012
Before her death, Mrs. Bodney’s life was already marked by tragedy.
Her two-year-old son Robert Bodney was murdered in 2012 by her ex-partner Wayne Murray Narkle.
Narkle, who was a heroin addict, said he “went crazy” and hit and shook two-year-old Robert because he wouldn’t stop crying.
The baby suffered serious head injuries and broken bones in both arms.
Mrs Bodney found Robert pale and not breathing after he had briefly run outside to get some cigarettes.
NArkle pleaded guilty to Robert’s murder and was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison.
In Tuesday’s ruling, Judge Fiannaca said Berryman had shown reckless disregard for the lives of his passengers and engaged in dangerous driving of the most egregious kind.
“It is criminal negligence of the highest order. You ignored their cries to stop. They were clearly afraid for their lives — and you ignored them,” Judge Fiannaca said.
However, Judge Fiannaca acknowledged that Berryman was genuinely remorseful for his actions and granted a 20 percent discount for his early plea.
Berryman will be eligible for parole after serving nine years in prison. His earliest possible release date will be April 2032.
He is banned from driving for another 10 years.
Mrs Bodney’s brother Craig also testified in court, describing his sister as kind, loving and outgoing.
Outside the courtroom, Craig said his sister never fully recovered from the loss of her son.
“This has destroyed my whole family. My mother was already ill and Kerry lost everything after her son,” he told the Western Australian.
“He ran away like a coward. He is not a man, what you call a coward of a person, that is the human being, in my opinion.
‘The only solution would be for him not to be released and to build a life again.’