Shakira Adams gets maximum time behind bars for crash that killed Matthew McLuckie

Shakira Adams, 23, is sentenced to 14 years in jail for killing Matthew McLuckie, 20, in a head-on crash in Canberra in 2022.

Transcript

00:00Too dangerous to be free. Shakira Adams was driving at high speed on the wrong side of

00:08the road on drugs when she smashed into Matthew McLuckie's car, killing him and injuring herself

00:14so badly she now has a traumatic brain injury. But it was the news that she was continuing

00:21to use ice that sealed her fate, earning her the maximum sentence.

00:26I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Ms Adams currently poses a significant danger

00:31to society.

00:33Matthew McLuckie's family expressed relief, saying they hoped the sentence would send a

00:38message.

00:39You're not going to get slapped on the wrist or a couple of years in jail. You will do

00:42some serious prison time.

00:44A key issue in the case was the fact Adams had no licence and had never had one. She's

00:50now banned from ever getting a licence without a court order.

00:54I cannot be confident that Ms Adams would not attempt to drive if she were at liberty

00:58in the community. That is a risk that cannot be taken and will not be taken through me at

01:05this point.

01:06Matthew McLuckie's family has maintained a constant presence throughout the long court

01:11process. Moving on will be a hard task.

01:13I'm never going to wake up and be at ease with what happened to my son. I never will.

01:20In the ACT, it's very unusual for the maximum possible sentence to be imposed, particularly

01:27when there's been a plea of guilty. But today, Chief Justice Lucy McCallum said it was warranted

01:33by Shakira Adams' extreme culpability. Matthew McLuckie's family say they're expecting an appeal.

01:39Elizabeth Byrne, ABC News Canberra.