Karen Thompson faced her husband Brad Thompson’s killer in court yesterday after he struck and murdered him in a horrific north Adelaide car incident.
However, Christopher Bennet, the driver, will only serve three months of his six-month sentence—partially suspended—in jail.
Ms Thompson, who was left to raise her five children alone, is still in excruciating sorrow from losing her spouse.
“That’s the hardest part, trying to tell them everything is going to be ok,” she stated.
“They feel afraid.
“I have to be strong for them” .
In November of last year, Mr Thompson was riding his motorbike to work when Bennet crashed into him as he was pulling out of an OTR fuel station on Phillip Highway.
The 29-year-old was found to have 11 driving bans and methamphetamine residue in his system at the time of the collision.
“My husband was just going to work to provide for his family and he’s taken everything away from us,” Thompson stated.
“Why do they feel like three months is enough to take someone’s life away?”
“Why does he get to go back to his family and we don’t get ours?”
Significantly stronger penalties are in place for driving recklessly and causing death as of January 1st.
“Sentence reflects the extraordinary pain that his actions have imposed on a good South Australian family,” according to South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas.
“This offending occurred prior to this law change, which is unfortunate for the family that has been affected, but hopefully sends a very clear message to other people,” he stated.
