Repeat drug driver jailed over crash that killed newborn
Andrew Dean Robson was jailed four-and-a-half to seven years for a crash that killed a newborn while having four prior drug-driving convictions.
On February 21 last year, Robson drove a Ford Ranger on the wrong side of Pemberton Street in West Albury, above the speed limit, and crashed into a Kia carrying a pregnant woman. The pregnant woman was rushed to hospital for an emergency caesarean section.
The baby boy was born prematurely and died just three days later from injuries sustained in the crash. The baby's parents decided to turn off his life support.
Robson tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine. He had already been convicted four times for drug-driving before this crash.
Judge Nanette Williams sentenced him in the District Court on Friday and said it was "a catastrophe waiting to happen". He will be eligible for parole on 25 October 2029 and is banned from driving for three years after release.
Why it mattersRobson had four prior drug-driving convictions when he crashed into the pregnant woman's car. The sentence shows courts take repeat offending seriously, especially when it causes death.
AustraliaThe sentence demonstrates Australian courts' approach to serious harm caused by drug-driving and the life sentences families face after losing a child.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 18 h ago
