Court Denies Appeal of Drunk Mum Who Caused The Car Crash That Killed Her Daughter

The appeal for a shorter sentence of a drunk mum, whose 15-year-old daughter was killed in a car crash after they played drinking games together, has been denied.

Mum Janet Louise Kirby, 48, was sent to prison for four and a half years last month after admitting driving while drunk and causing the crash that killed her teenage daughter, Lois.

Ms Kirby appealed for the sentence to be lessened, saying she was serving a ‘life sentence’ of guilt over Lois’s death. She previously confessed playing drinking games with Lois and a number of her friends at her home in Merriwa, Western Australia, in March last year.

She then drove six young people, aged between 15 and 20, to a nearby party after having several alcoholic drinks. Her daughter agreed to get into the boot of the five-seater SUV.

During the journey, the group challenged Ms Kirby to scare a moped driver and their passenger, so she overtook them. However, when she returned to her lane, she over-corrected, causing the car to come off the road and roll over, before coming to rest in some trees.

The passengers were injured but survived, however, Lois, who was not wearing any safety restraints, was thrown from the boot and suffered severe injuries that caused her death.

Police arrived and tested Ms Kirby for her blood alcohol level which resulted to a reading of 0.11, which was more than double the legal limit.

Ms Kirby admitted causing death by reckless driving and was jailed last month. She was ordered to serve at least two and a half years before she could be considered for parole. She was also fined $650 and was banned from driving for three years, but she made an appeal shortly after.

Her lawyers told the court that ‘there will be an ongoing punishment when she finishes her parole… because she knows she killed her own daughter’. However, Court of Appeal judges rejected the argument yesterday, saying they “have not been persuaded that it was outside the range of a sound sentencing discretion.”

“In all of the circumstances, the sentence that was imposed was not unreasonable or plainly unjust,” the judges said.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk