LNP Leader Deb Frecklington and Shadow Attorney-General David Janetzki are calling on the Palaszczuk Labor Government to appeal the soft sentence of Mark Veneris for the horrific Christmas Day crash which saw a mother and daughter killed.
Mr Veneris lost control of his BMW sedan at Manly West, reaching speeds of up to 100km/h in a 70km/h zone, smashing head-on with the Tritton family’s vehicle.
While on their way to a family Christmas Day lunch, Makayla,18, and her mother Karin, 56, tragically died while Tarmeka, 23, and her father Laurence, 55, received life-threatening injuries.
“This was not a random accident. This was 1.7km of reckless, drug-induced driving which led to the deaths of two people and a life sentence for two of their family members,” Ms Frecklington said.
“The fact that a reckless drug driver could be out as early as 2021 after serving only 3.5 years is an insult to the memory of Makayla and Karin.
“Harsher sentences need to be imposed so we can deter other road users from driving with drugs in their system.
“The Tritton family will never be able to celebrate Christmas as they once did. Mr Veneris took that away from them.”
Mr Janetzki said Mr Veneris’ long history of speeding fines and previous drunk-driving records indicated an accident waiting to happen.
“Any driver who gets behind the wheel with drugs in their system should face the full force of the law,” Mr Janetzki said.
“I have urgently written to the Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath to lodge an appeal against the horrific 2017 Christmas Day case.
“The Palaszczuk Labor Government need to prove they’re serious about crime and appeal this soft and insulting sentence.”
Sentence:
Transcript of Court Proceedings: https://archive.sclqld.org.au/qjudgment/sentencing/2019/veneris26072019.pdf
