Kin tell judge of their pain after young mum’s life was ‘stolen’ by hit-and-run monkey bike hoon: family
Young mum of two Andrea Lehane with husband James not long before her life ended in a pool of blood. Photo: ABC
Family members of a Melbourne mother left choking on her own blood have slammed the inhumanity of the young man who ran her down while speeding on a mini motorbike for “the sake of cheap thrills”.
Caleb Jakobsson was riding his self-built monkey bike when he fatally struck Andrea Lehane, 34, on a pedestrian crossing outside a Carrum Downs shopping centre in September 2015.
The mother of two was thrown more than five metres, suffering catastrophic injuries.
Jakobsson, who is now 20, did not stay to find out what had happened to the nurse, fleeing to a friend’s house.
He pleaded guilty in March to culpable driving causing death and failing to stop after the crash.
In court on Wednesday, Jakobsson heard Ms Lehane’s loved ones talk about how her death had affected them.
Adele Paraggio told the court she was appalled Jakobbson had run away while her sister was left “choking on her own blood”.
“Such an inhumane act was done to my little sister,” Ms Paraggio said. “How much pain did she feel? How could someone just leave someone there?
James Lehane told the Victorian County Court his wife’s death “tears him up inside” and that Jakobsson’s recklessness was unforgivable.
“My beautiful wife was snatched away forever for the sake of cheap and reckless thrills,” Mr Lehane said in his victim impact statement.
Ms Lehane’s family were forced to switch off her life support two days after the crash.
“She looked like an angel. The accident had spared her face,” Ms Lehane’s mother Opal Paraggio said of the painful goodbye. “Andrea was stolen away from us at the peak of her life.”
The court heard Jakobsson was speeding on his motorbike, which had no front brakes, at the time of the collision.
Defence lawyer Kristie Churchill said her client was not a bad person and asked the judge to sentence Jakobsson to a youth justice facility, rather than an adult prison.
Jakobbson has been assaulted twice in custody and is now separated from other inmates for his safety, the court heard. He will be sentenced on May 31.