A P-plate driver who crashed his car in Perth’s south while traveling at a speed of roughly 200 kilometres per hour lost his infant son and was given a sentence of more than nine years in prison.
James Farmer, his partner, and his three-month-old son were all ejected from the car after it collided with a power pole on the Kwinana Freeway in April 2018.
Farmer’s partner sustained many wounds while the infant sustained fatal injuries.
After a jury trial in the Supreme Court, Farmer, who was 20 at the time, was convicted guilty of manslaughter and reckless driving resulting in great bodily harm.
After the collision, his blood alcohol level was approximately three times the legal limit.
Farmer had driven “like a maniac,” in a manner that was “outrageously dangerous” to people within the car and other road users, according to Justice Sam Vandongen.
Justice Vandongen stated, “You knew you had been drinking,” and added that Farmer “knew or should’ve known” he shouldn’t have been driving.
Sickness and burnouts came before the collision.
The court was informed that Farmer had driven recklessly for a “reasonably sustained period of time” the night of the collision, performing a burnout in a Baldivis neighborhood street.
Justice Vandongen reported that a tire had been damaged, so he went to a gas station where Farmer puked in the garden before heading south on the freeway.
James Farmer is shown in a close-up head and shoulders indoor photo.
180–200 kph was the estimated speed of the farmer.
In his testimony to the court, Justice Vandongen stated that he had “real doubts” about Farmer’s memory loss.
He cited witness accounts in which he was heard apologizing and that he had “f***ed up” shortly after the collision.
The court was informed that Farmer had a happy childhood and loving parents.
A man driving a car in a tight head-and-shoulders selfie photo.
Farmer, who is now 25 years old, was given a prison term of nine years and nine months.
Before becoming eligible for parole, he must serve a minimum of seven years and nine months.
Jonathan Davies, Farmer’s attorney, had earlier argued in court that his client deserved a chance at rehabilitation.
According to Mr. Davies, Farmer was aware of the “traumatic consequences,” including how they would affect police officers and emergency care workers as well as “bystanders who attended.”
According to Mr. Davies, his client didn’t have a “true memory” of what happened, why he was drinking excessively, or why he drove that way.
On a pathway in Perth’s Supreme Court Gardens, an older man wearing a grey suit and a blue shirt strolls next to a younger woman.
Jonathan Davies, the defense attorney, stated in court that Farmer felt “deep failure toward his family.”(ABC News: David Weber)
However, the court was informed that Farmer felt “deep failure toward his family.”
According to Mr. Davies, his client had “accepted responsibility” and was “already on the path to rehabilitation.”
Farmer’s declaration of acceptance following “repeated trials,” according to prosecutor Ben Stanwix, was “meaningless,” he told the court.
It had been argued during earlier hearings that Farmer’s boyfriend might have been the one driving.
“Many members of the public,” according to Mr. Stanwix, had experienced trauma as a result of the collision.
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