A man who had been drinking before driving over a family’s tent in a Tasmanian campground seriously injuring a 10-year-old boy has been jailed.
Back in June, Stephen James Gatenby, 32, was found guilty by a jury in the Supreme Court in Burnie of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm.
The offence took place in the early hours of New Year’s Day, 2022, at the Kentish campground at Lake Barrington in Tasmania’s north-west,
At sentencing, the ABC reports that Justice Tamara Jago said it was ‘extremely fortunate’ that no one had been killed.
The judge said Gatenby had been drinking throughout the evening of December 31, 2021, at the campground, where he was celebrating New Year’s Eve with his brother and friends.
The man was jailed after being found guilty of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm.
Gatenby had become ‘very drunk and aggressive’ and was seen nearly falling into fire-pits, struggling to walk up hills, and throwing punches at people trying to help him, Justice Jago said.
When Gatenby ran towards his car, onlookers reportedly yelled to stop him driving but he still got in the vehicle and then drove into the family’s tent, causing the young boy serious injuries and other minor injuries to his sister and mother.
The ABC reports that the court heard Gatenby continued driving a further 100 metres, coming very close to other campers, before crashing into a tree.
Justice Jago said the boy suffered fractures to his ankle and pelvis, internal bleeding and a burn to his leg. He was hospitalised for three weeks and required multiple surgeries to treat his wounds. He still suffers anxiety and flashbacks.
The judge said Gatenby recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.218 after he was arrested.
She said she accepted that Gatenby had no intention to hurt anyone when he drove drunk that night, and that he ‘felt terrible’ about the consequences.
The ABC reports that Gatenby was jailed for two years and six months, but the final nine months were suspended for a period of two years.
He will be eligible for parole when he has served half of the remaining 21 months.
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