A relation of a teenage girl, who was killed alongside her cousin in a fatal boating incident, has slammed the sentence handed down to her grandfather over the tragedy.
The girls, aged 13 and 14, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, were on a sea biscuit being towed by a boat on Lake Keepit, northwest of Tamworth in late December 2022, when they crashed into a tree stump.
The girls were propelled from the biscuit and despite the best efforts of people at the scene, they could not be saved.
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“It was quite a traumatic incident, there was quite a significant impact as a result of the speed the boat was travelling at, the fact that the children were on the biscuit unprotected,” Detective Superintendent Bruce Grassick said at the time.
The grandfather of one of the girls, a 73-year-old man, was driving the boat at the time.
He was charged months later with two counts of negligently operating a recreational vessel causing death.
He pleaded guilty to both counts and was sentenced at Tamworth Local Court on Thursday to a one-year community corrections order.
A family member of one of the victims told 7NEWS he was hoping for a tougher sentence.
“I’m disappointed in today’s outcome,” he told reporters outside court.
“I’m living a life sentence … people who commit these crimes get a slap on the wrist.
“A slap on the wrist is not good enough.
“The deterrent for this summer for people to slow down won’t be there.”
The victim’s relative added he’d like to see more safety measures in place at water spots and wants people to take accountability for their actions.
“We need to set a safety precedent,” he said.
“People are boating too close to trees and this is the outcome.
“I don’t want to take fun out of anyone’s life, but if you don’t look at what you’re doing on the water, these consequences happen.
“(The victim) was 13 years of age, she had a beautiful life ahead of her, her life didn’t need to be ended like this.”
“Drive safe, don’t take a risk.”
Magistrate Julie Soars told the court she assessed the offence to be in the mid-range of objective seriousness.
In sentencing the 73-year-old, she took into account his lack of criminal record and his remorse.
He was also disqualified from holding a marine licence for 12 months.