High driver jailed for 10 years

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11494089%5E421,00.html

November 25, 2004

AN unlicensed driver who killed a motorcyclist while high on a cocktail of
drugs and driving on the wrong side of a Victorian freeway has received a
10-year jail sentence.

Jeffrey Allan Dobbin, 31, of Reservoir, was given a minimum eight-year jail
term after pleading guilty to 12 charges including culpable driving causing
death, theft of a car, failing to stop after a motor vehicle accident and
aggravated burglary.

The Victoria County Court was told Dobbin drove a stolen car the wrong way
down the Princes Freeway during peak-time traffic on April 16.

Nicole Knox-Smith, a 29-year-old Origin Energy employee, was killed
instantly when Dobbin swerved in front of her motorbike near Hoppers
Crossing, south-west of Melbourne.

The court was told Dobbin began a two-day crime spree after a Family Court
decision removed his eight-year-old daughter from his care.

He consumed a cocktail of drugs including heroin, some rock heroin, 10
tablets each of codeine and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax on April 14, the
court was told.

The next day he stole a car from suburban Thornbury about 8.20pm (AEST) and
about 6.30am he was seen breaking into a house in Seaholme where he stole
more than $2000 worth of goods.

The court was told that over the next two hours, police twice called off a
pursuit as Dobbin abandoned the first stolen car after running off the road
in Werribee and took a second car from a caravan park.

He drove on footpaths and over roundabouts, narrowly missing a pedestrian
before he entered the freeway.

On the freeway, Dobbin crossed over a centre median strip to the other side
of the road, drove in the emergency lane against the flow of traffic and
struck Ms Knox-Smith as he was executing a U-turn.

Judge Jim Duggan said Ms Knox-Smith had no opportunity to avoid the
collision and it was hard to imagine a "worse case of culpable driving".

He said Dobbin had never held a licence and had an extensive criminal record
including several driving offences.

He said the only mitigating factor was that Dobbin had pleaded guilty and
showed remorse.

Outside the court, the victim's father, Paul Smith, expressed satisfaction
with the judge's decision, but said nothing would bring back his daughter.

"She was someone that was the rock of our family ... this whole event has
shattered our family, it's broken us apart," he said.

The officer in charge of the investigation, Sergeant Geoff Exton, said the
sentence sent a clear message to drivers.

"If you use illegal or legal drugs and it impedes your driving and you take
someone's life on our roads you're going to go to jail for a very long
time," he said.

 

Finally a little justice eh. May he be probed continually.

Cam

 

What no capital punishment!
Boxer

 

What no capital punishment!
They should put him on a bike poket bike and then have the parents of the
girl run him over. If he lives hes free too go

 

10 years?Thats a fucken joke.He will be out in 8 as in less than 3000 days,
NOT ENOUGH, Out well before his 40th..

..When will the girl be back?

The judge has N/F/I and not living in the real world he should get 25 years
with no minimum release

They should use these "people" for medical research he is a druggie after
all

CDIHL

 

I read this differently. Whilst I in no way condone the alledged actions
of Mr. Dobbin, I fail to see how the mob mentality mob can get so worked
up over such a piss poor newspaper article.

The article claims, and no way you could say a 'journalist claimed' as it
obviously wasn't written by one, that Mr. Dobbin began a two day crime
spree and consumed a fair amount of drugs on April 14. It goes on to say
that the next day (which according to my calendar would be April 15) he
stole a car about 8:20pm then, from what I can figure, had serious issues
with a worm hole, as he supposedly went back in time to 6:30am to lead
police on a two hour chase, only to emerge the next day again (April 16),
when the fatefull accident took place. He was still high two days later?
Not to worry, it ends with him being a previously confirmed, and now very
sorry, bad boy, some satisfaction for the victims father and a statement
by the officer in charge to help confirm the governments stance that they
are here to help us.

Dunno about you but it stinks of shoddy journalism, government spin and
mass manipulation to me!

 

Not to mention that the police who had already called off the pursuit
witnessed the accident.

Nev..
'03 ZX12R

 

But he was convicted right?? Doesnt that mean these claims turn into what
the judge believes to be true!

JasonBW - Wollongong

 

I saw on the 'news' that he was also disqualified for driving for 10
years. Does the disqualification start now? Can he hop back in a car
as soon as he is released?

Moike

 

Apparently he had never held a license.

cam

 

OK, so the disqualification is really going to hurt!

Moike

 

Yeah - if you want to kill someone, get pissed, steal a car and run them
down rather than shooting them.

You'll spend 15 years less in gaol.

10 years. How fucking piss poor is that? The guy committed at least 3
blatently illegal acts and killed someone as a rsult of them - and gets
off with a minimum of 8 years, maximum of 10?

What a joke.

DaZZa

 

So it would seem. Eight years plus in the slammer IS going to hurt -
perhaps we should send him a consolatory inflatable donut!

cam

 

nah... he did, was in control of a vehicle, drugged out of his mind,
and trying to evade the law - if was aware he was being chased by the
law and he kept on going - then he is fully responsible for his
actions....

Johno

 

No. Murder involves having the intent to murder. You cant just go
around and try reinvent the charge of murder to suit your case. You
have to follow what the law says. YOU may think it was murder but the
law would say otherwise. You may want a new category to exist to suit
your case.. thats fine. But if he didnt intend to kill anyone with his
actions then it aint legally murder.

paulh

 

I know this could be a stupid question, and I've asked myself this many a
time, but if you were related to anyone who was killed by such a person, in
such a mannor would you think the same way?
Sure it's manslaughter, but this wasn't some truckie on speed trying to get
to Brisbane from Perth. Not everyone can see it in such clinical
impartiality as you paul

TB

 

I think you'll find that in most cases where a gaol sentence and a driving
disqualification are given, the disqualification finishes before the gaol
sentence, sounds silly, but I think you'll find that the person has to go
front up to a magistrate when they are released and provide cause for their
licence to be reinstated. I don't think it's automatic.

Nev..

 

That day your bike went sliding down the road past/over a traffic island, or
that other day your bike slid under an oncoming car, if your bike had hit a
pedestrian, or if that car had swerved off the road and slammed into a ditch
or the side of the mountain, and someone had died, how many years do you
think you would deserve go to gaol for? 1??.. 10??.. 30 ??

Nev..

 

Very good point Nev.

TB

 

Could they factor other conditions as variables in an equation who's result
would be the number of years that is handed down instead of saying crime X =
punishment Y or is it too late for change like that?

TB