A former nurse who struck a Melbourne father-of-two on his bike and left him for dead has cried after being sentenced to at least eight and a half years behind bars.
Julian Paul’s back and neck were broken when Stephanie Joy Maher struck him with her car as he was riding his bike along the Nepean Highway in Brighton East in November 2013.
Maher, 33, was found guilty in June of culpable driving causing death, failing to stop and failing to render assistance to Mr Paul, 54, who died from his injuries about three weeks after the crash.
Victorian County Court Judge David Parsons today said there was no evidence Maher felt any remorse for her actions and although she appeared upset, this was self-pity.
“You well knew you had hit a cyclist, you chose to leave the scene and hide your car in an effort to avoid responsibility for your actions. I reject your explanations as to what you did and after the collision as untruthful,” Judge Parsons said.
“We can only grieve with Mrs Paul and trust that her pain, and the pain her family feels, will diminish over time.”
Judge Parsons said he accepted Maher suffered from depression and anxiety, which will make her time in prison “more onerous” than usual, as well as the inability to care for her son whilst locked up.
“I am unable to find in the circumstances, any evidence of remorse. True, you have been upset… however I find that this is substantially motivated by self-pity,” he said.
The court also heard she had numerous prior offences, including assault, driving and theft and drug charges.
Numerous witnesses saw Maher swerving and driving erratically before the collision.
Mr Paul’s widow told the court in June her life had been “blown to bits” by her husband’s death.
“My life as I knew it is over,” she told the Victorian County Court.
In 2008, Maher was ordered to undergo drug treatment after she was caught stealing drugs from Melbourne hospitals to feed her own drug addiction.
The protection of the community was an important consideration because Maher was likely to re-offend, Judge Parsons said, describing her prospects for rehabilitation as "limited".
Maher was sentenced to a maximum of 11 years in jail.
Bicycle Network Chief Executive Officer Craig Richards welcomed the sentence, which he said would send a strong message to other motorists.
“Riders are so vulnerable on the road. If you are driving a car, you need to look out for bike riders. They are everywhere,” Mr Richards said.
“It’s important that we’ve seen justice done, but nothing can make up for the loss of the Paul family. It’s an incredibly sad situation for everyone involved.”
With AAP.