The husband of a woman tragically killed by a drink driver, who was recklessly speeding on the wrong side of the road in the Adelaide Hills, has expressed disappointment with the five-year non-parole period granted to the offender. Lewis James Barton, who had been consuming alcohol for three consecutive days, including at least seven pints of beer on the day of the fatal crash, was sentenced for his actions leading to the demise of Angaston resident Kaylene Saegenschnitter, aged 59, in October 2021.
The devastating incident unfolded as Ms. Saegenschnitter and her husband were returning from an event in Murray Bridge when Barton’s vehicle collided with theirs. Although Ms. Saegenschnitter was transported to a hospital, she tragically succumbed to her injuries ten days later.
At the time of the collision, Barton, aged 30 and holding provisional (P) driver’s licenses, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including one aggravated count of causing Ms. Saegenschnitter’s death due to dangerous driving.
In proceedings at the District Court, Judge Anthony Allen imposed a nine-year prison sentence upon Barton, accompanied by a non-parole period of five years, taking into account Barton’s earlier admission of guilt. Additionally, Judge Allen ordered that Barton be disqualified from holding a driver’s license for a period of 15 years upon his release.
During the court proceedings, Judge Allen sternly addressed Barton, stating, “Your actions on a Spring afternoon in the Adelaide Hills have forever changed, for the worse, the lives of countless people.”
Following the court’s decision, David Saegenschnitter, the grieving husband of the victim, expressed the family’s belief that the punishment meted out to Barton might not serve as an effective deterrent to other reckless drivers. “The head sentence was around about what I thought. What perplexed us a little bit was the non-parole,” Mr. Saegenschnitter remarked during a statement outside the courtroom.
