By Dominique Tassell
A man was sentenced at Warwick District Court on Monday regarding a fatal road accident that occurred on 14 September 2020, prompting a community outcry.
Brock Jules Hamers, 23, pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death/grievous bodily harm while adversely affected by an intoxicating substance, and leaving the scene of an accident.
He was sentenced to eight years in jail, was banned from driving for five years, and is eligible for parole in May 2023.
The 2020 accident claimed the life of local Greg Newey, and his wife Beth sustained serious injuries.
Southern Downs Regional Councillor Cynthia McDonald brought the case up in general business at today’s Ordinary Council Meeting.
She stated she had spoken to the governor of Queensland yesterday in regards to this particular issue.
“It grieves me but I would really like to express my concerns,” she said.
She said as representatives there are times when they need to step and go to higher levels of government about problems in our community.
Cr McDonald expressed her disappointment with the result in court, stating “this individual killed a family man and seriously injured his wife.”
“These are innocent people’s lives that were torn apart.”
She stated that she believed the “scourge of drugs and drug-related offences in our community” needs to be met with harsher penalties and proposed that Council write a letter to the relevant people in higher positions of power.
Cr Sheryl Windle stated that she fully supported this suggestion, stating she thinks “we’re all shocked at the outcome” of the case.
“It’s not the outcome that we were hopeful of.”
She stated that “if you do wrong you’ve got to suffer the consequences and unfortunately it’s the people who have been aggrieved in this that are suffering the consequences not the person who created the accident in the first place”.
Cr Stephen Tancred stated that “society’s expectations are out of sync with the current laws and the implementation of them” and that he believed Member for Southern Downs, James Lister, would be receptive to a letter.
Cr Jo McNally then brought up the prison system, stating our prisons are full.
“There are prisoners in sections that they shouldn’t be in because they are overflowing,” she said. “Yes we can send them to jail but there’s nowhere to go.”
Cr Ross Bartley stated that while this was a state-managed issue, many in our community are passionate about this.
He stated that there have been multiple instances of sentences that the community may feel do not fit the crime.
“People are getting off and reoffending because of the light sentences in some situations,” he said.
But all we can do is convey our concerns to the powers that be in those state positions. And hopefully they take notice of us as a Council.
Finally, Cr McDonald stated that “a man lost his life and this particular individual may walk out on parole in 12 months of the sentence being brought down”.
“That concerns me greatly.”
Councillors then moved to write to the Member for Southern Downs, Queensland Attorney-General, the Minister of Police, and Corrective Services regarding an inquiry into the judicial system and the inadequate punishments imposed for drug, alcohol, and other serious offences.
The motion was moved by Cr McDonald and seconded by Cr Windle.
