A mother who lost her unborn baby in a crash has criticized a landmark sentence after the teenage driver responsible avoided arrest, saying it is “not enough.”
An emotional Haylee Loccisano expressed her frustration outside court after the 17-year-old was given community service and a driving suspension for the fatal crash under new laws.
On Tuesday, the girl pleaded guilty at Ipswich Youth Court to driving without due care, causing grievous bodily harm to Ms Loccisano and destroying the life of her unborn baby Celeste.
The 17-year-old’s sentencing marked the first use of Sophie’s Law in Queensland.
The state parliament passed a law in September 2023 to make the murder of a fetus an aggravating factor in the sentencing of offenders.
It followed years of campaigning by Sarah Milosevic, who lost her unborn baby at 39 weeks after a drunk and drugged driver crashed into her car in 2014 and was later fined.
Mrs Milosevic was present at Tuesday’s sentencing and was also unhappy, claiming the teenager “got away with it”.
Ms Loccisano, who was 24 at the time, was 25 weeks pregnant and a passenger in a Toyota Hilux utility vehicle driven by her mother Teresa Burn on May 16, 2024 in Purga, west of Brisbane.
Haylee Loccisano expressed her frustration outside court after the 17-year-old driver who caused the crash that killed her unborn baby received community service and a driving suspension.
The teenager was driving a Toyota RAV4 when she swerved into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with the Toyota Hilux utility vehicle in which Ms Loccisano (pictured) was travelling.
The teenager was driving a Toyota RAV4 and swerved into oncoming traffic during a moment of inattention, causing a head-on collision with the Hilux.
Attempts to save Celeste by cesarean section failed and Loccisano spent the next eight days in intensive care with significant abdominal injuries that required multiple surgeries.
Ms Loccisano read her victim impact statement to the court, saying Celeste was her miracle ‘rainbow baby’ after she was told she couldn’t get pregnant.
“It was taken from me at the hands of a reckless driver… having it taken away from me like that has affected me in ways that are hard to describe,” he said.
‘I remember every little detail of the accident. I remember the fear that invaded my body… my baby suddenly wasn’t moving anymore.’
Loccisano said his extensive scars were a daily reminder of his loss and that he continued to suffer from physical and mental health problems.
Outside court, Ms Loccisano said she “didn’t feel good” about the sentence.
“It wasn’t enough for the life that was taken,” he said.
Mrs Loccisano spent eight days in intensive care with serious abdominal injuries that required several surgeries.
Ms Loccisano, who was 24 at the time, was 25 weeks pregnant and attempts to save her baby Celeste by caesarean section failed.
Acting Magistrate Sue Ganasan sentenced the teenager to 100 hours of community service and disqualified her from holding a license for six months with no conviction recorded.
The maximum penalty the teenager could have faced was one year in prison.
“There is no getting around the fact that any sentence I impose will leave the parties facing the tragic consequences of what happened,” Ms Ganasan said.
The teenager’s lawyer, James Godbolt, said outside court that his client was “obviously very remorseful.”
“It is a terrible tragedy and nothing can fix it,” he said.
After years of campaigning for Sofia’s Law, Ms Milosevic called for more changes after being present at Tuesday’s historic ruling.
He called for minimum custodial sentences for crimes that invoke Sophie’s Law.
‘(Community service) is a free ride. I don’t think she’ll learn anything from that,” he said of the teen driver outside court.
“As far as I’m concerned, she got away with it.”