A drug user who crashed and killed his on-again, off-again girlfriend after trying to run a red light has been jailed for 11 years.
Jahleel Delaine Ahirau Berryman, 28, drove a stolen BMW through a red light and crashed into a Mitsubishi Magna in April last year, killing front-seat passenger Kerry Bodney, 31, whose young son Robert was killed nine years earlier.
The Western Australian Supreme Court heard on Tuesday that Berryman’s passengers screamed in terror as he raced 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 high on cannabis and methamphetamine, had already been driving erratically when he decided to run the red light.
The surviving passengers shouted for Berryman to stop, but he accelerated to 127 km/h. 70 km/h zone.
After being hit by the Mitsubishi, the BMW spun under the force of the crash and rolled over several times.
Ms Bodney was thrown 15 metres from the car and suffered catastrophic injuries.
She was rushed to hospital, where she died a short time later.
Jahleel Berryman, 28, has been jailed for 11 years for the death of Kerry Bodney, 31, who was killed in a car that carelessly ran 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 also suffered life-threatening injuries.
Witness statements from the time were read out in court, with one saying he had “never seen anything like it”. alphabet reported
Following the crash, CCTV showed Berryman, who miraculously escaped the crash unhurt, turning to look in the direction of Ms Bodey and his other seriously injured passengers before fleeing the scene.
He was later arrested and found to have high levels of drugs in his system.
Berryman was charged with the manslaughter of Ms Bodney, aggravated grievous bodily harm to Ms Winmar and aggravated bodily harm to the other passenger.
He pleaded guilty to all charges in July.
In Tuesday’s ruling, Western Australian Supreme Court Justice Bruno Fiannaca said Berryman acted wrongly and showed a “blatant disregard” for the lives he put at risk.
“You did nothing to render assistance, but rather evaded apprehension,” he said.
Kerry Bodney (pictured left) with her two-year-old son Robert, who was murdered by his ex-partner in 2012
Before her death, Mrs Bodney’s life had already been marked by tragedy.
Her two-year-old son, Robert Bodney, was murdered by her ex-partner Wayne Murray Narkle in 2012.
Narkle, who was addicted to heroin, said he “lost his mind” and hit and shook two-year-old Robert because he wouldn’t stop crying.
The baby suffered a catastrophic head injury and fractures to both arms.
Mrs. Bodney found Robert pale and not breathing after going out to get some cigarettes.
northArkle pleaded guilty to Robert’s murder and was jailed for a minimum of 15 years.
In sentencing on Tuesday, Judge Fiannaca said Berryman had shown reckless disregard for the lives of his passengers by exhibiting dangerous driving of the most appalling kind.
“This is criminal negligence of the highest order. You ignored their cries for you to stop. They were clearly in fear for their lives and you ignored them,” Judge Fiannaca said.
However, Judge Fiannaca accepted that Berryman felt genuine remorse for his actions and was given a 20 per cent discount due to an early guilty plea.
Berryman will be eligible for parole after serving nine years in prison, so his earliest release date will be April 2032.
He will be banned from driving for another 10 years.
Ms Bodney’s brother Craig also gave evidence in court, describing his sister as friendly, caring and outgoing.
Outside court, Craig said his sister never really recovered from the loss of her son.
“This has devastated my entire family. My mother was already ill and Kerry lost everything after her son,” she said. Western Australia.
“He ran away like a coward. He is not a man, what you would call a coward, a human being, in my opinion.
‘Closure would be for me not to go out and have a life again.’
