By Renee Wood
A Healesville woman has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment for drug-driving which resulted in the death of a much loved Belgrave South mother.
Monica Kellalea was driving under the influence on the Melba Highway at 4.55pm 6 February last year when she veered into oncoming traffic, colliding head on with Melinda Addison-Gordon, who died at the scene.
In Judge John Smallwood’s sentencing at the Latrobe Valley County Court on Wednesday 25 February, he chose to only read parts of the victim’s husband’s impact statement.
“I don’t think I can read the victim impact statement out without crying to be honest,” Judge Smallwood said.
“That victim impact statement is why people go to jail for a long time for this type of thing, it’s heart rending….Normally I summarise it but I don’t think I could do it.”
Judge Smallwood relayed the occurrence of events, stating how Kellalea first clipped John Barter’s car, friend to Ms Gordon-Addison, before missing another behind him, only to veer into the opposite lane fully to collide with Ms Gordon-Addison’s car.
Ms Gordon-Addison was driving home after attending a motorcycle event with her husband and friends.
Mr Barter was first on the scene when the crash occurred – it was described as an ‘enormous explosion’.
He went to Ms-Gordon-Addison who lay in the wreckage, talking to her, trying to comfort and reassure her before calling her husband Simon Addison, who was in another vehicle.
Mr Barter also had quick thinking to remove parts of the car to prevent a fire and another witness tied a rope to the car to stop it sliding.
“The actions of Mr Barter in my mind of view were extremely courageous and I think if there’s any sort of public commendation for the way he conducted himself during what must have been a dreadful, dreadful experience, I personally think he should be recommended for it,” Judge Smallwood said.
Judge Smallwood continued his address and read out parts of Mr Addison’s impact statement from when he arrived at the scene.
“John tried to stop me, but how on earth would he stop me from going to my Min? The police allowed me to see Min after I explained I had to see her and say goodbye – how do you say goodbye to the love of your life?
“I sat on the side of the road opposite her car for a bit, just looking and trying to comprehend the scene, what was happening, and figure out from the carnage on the road what happened.
“I walked over to Min’s car. The car was slightly down the embankment and I found my Min hanging halfway out of the car.
“I held her hand, talked to her, and told her that I loved her, and then I had to say goodbye. “God, that was hard: looking into her open, staring eyes. They were open looking at me. I would never see them again.
“Those sparkling smiling beautiful eyes, grey in colour like mine, looked so stark and emotionless when I saw her lying in the car, motionless.”
Judge Smallwood said all of the victim impact statements have proven just how loved the 57 year old mother of two was.
“All of those victim impact statements read of a very loved, very active, very lively country woman – she was involved in the CFA, involved in her community very much involved in dancing – clearly a real contributor to her community and a life long a very, very dear partner to her husband.”
Judge Smallwood went on to acknowledge Kellalea for her early plea of guilty, which saved the family the trauma of having to go through a trial and also saw this as honest remorse for her actions.
Kellalea was also seriously injured in the crash and remains waiting for surgery as a result of injuries.
Judge Smallwood sentenced Kellalea to seven years’ imprisonment for culpable driving causing death, with a four-and-a-half-year non-parole period and 282 days were marked as already served up to the day of sentencing.
