THE family of a Bunbury woman killed in a motorbike crash broke down in court on Friday after the man responsible for the accident was fined $450.
Jeremy David Boneham pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving in the Bunbury Magistrates Court after he lost control of his bike on the Australind Bypass on February 15, 2013.
Boneham and his fiancée Robyn Nicole Donovan-Smith were thrown from the motorbike and taken to Bunbury Regional Hospital in a critical condition.
Both were flown to Royal Perth Hospital where Ms Donovan-Smith died three days later.
In sentencing Boneham, Magistrate Dianne Scaddon said the full details of how the accident happened may never be known.
“The circumstances of the event highlight the dangers for motorcycle passengers when there are no seatbelts or chasse to protect them,” Magistrate Scaddon said.
“The passenger is at the sole mercy of the driver.”
There was an audible gasp and tears from Ms Donovan-Smith’s family in the public gallery as Magistrate Scaddon read out the sentence.
“The court can only impose a fine for this offence and while the family in the court today may not find the sentence to be appropriate, it is the only penalty I am authorised to hand down,” Magistrate Scaddon said.
