A former Trangie woman responsible for killing her "childhood friend" in a car crash near Tomingley will spend at least 20 months behind bars.
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Sonya McMaster, 34, was sentenced in the Dubbo District Court for being drunk and on drugs while driving a car that crashed and killed her friend and passenger, Peak Hill mother-of-two Shani Hando on December 28, 2020.
The court heard Ms Hando and McMaster were "partying" together in Peak Hill on the night before the crash.
Early the next morning, the court heard Ms Hando wanted to purchase more alcohol and cigarettes, and McMaster agreed to drive.
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McMaster drove the pair to the Tomingley BP station at about 8.21am. Ms Hando then called the Crossroads Hotel in Tomingley attempting to get the publican to sell them alcohol, but due to the early hours of the morning the publican declined.
Driving back in her Holden Barina along Tomingley West Road, the court heard McMaster had fallen asleep behind the wheel, when the vehicle veered to the side and began rolling, landing about 50 metres from the road.
Ms Hando, was thrown from the car through an unknown window during the crash.
McMaster ran barefoot to a nearby farmhouse and sought assistance.
"Help me, help. There was a crash. Someone else was in the car. I've killed her I've killed her," the court heard McMaster said to the residents.
Emergency services arrived, and confirmed Ms Hando had died.
When police tested McMaster's breath after the crash a reading of 0.090 was recorded - almost twice the legal blood alcohol limit.
A further test revealed she was under the influence of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - cannabis - at the time of the crash.
The court heard McMaster told police consumed six-and-a-half Toohey's full strength beers.
McMaster - a mother of three - pleaded guilty to dangerous driving occasioning death while under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
Judge Nanette Williams read out a summary of a victim impact statement from Ms Hando's mother, which described the aftermath of learning her daughter had passed away.
"She described it as being like an out of body experience," the court heard.
It is a difficult sentencing exercise because its fair to say no sentence that this court can ever impose can bring back Ms Hando, that's a given
- Judge Nanette Williams
"The following days were a blur and she could only think of her daughter's own children ... and they could not understand their mummy wasn't coming home."
She said Shani was more than a daughter, but a "best friend" and her "defender".
"She said everybody loved her, and she was special and had a caring nature. She had a smile that could light up any room and had a loud and contagious laugh," Judge Williams read out.
"She described her as uplifting and a thoughtful person who was always making and buying little gifts for her family just because she loved them.
"Her biggest achievement was her two sons, she was very proud of them and loved them."
The court heard Ms Hando was a hard worker, heavily involved with junior soccer in Dubbo and set up and run a cafe.
"She says her heart is broken every day when she realises the gaping wound that is left behind, and she also struggles with respect to the grief that her grandsons experience," Judge Williams read.
At sentencing on Thursday, Judge Williams extended her "sincere condolences" to the family of Ms Hando, and understood the death was a great tragedy to the wider community.
In the months after the crash, the court heard McMaster never sought treatment from a psychologist, but in the lead up to sentencing, in October started seeing a psychologist and engaged with drug and alcohol counselling.
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A psychologist report identified she had been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder after the incident, and her symptoms were escalating in the lead up to court.
It said she had expressed remorse and personally grieved for Ms Hando, her family and emergency service workers.
McMaster said after the crash she stopped using drugs.
Crown prosecutor Virginia Morgan said a punishment needed to be delivered to deter the community from repeating McMaster's "deliberate choices".
"The offender made a decision to drive for no real reason in circumstances where she had consumed a large amount of alcohol, smoked drugs and had not slept the night before the accident," the court heard.
"Irrespective of the offenders decision to drive in circumstances in which she did, it has resulted it the loss of life of Ms Hando a tragedy which could have so easily been avoided."
However defence barrister Tom Seeney believed the court should make a finding of special circumstances because McMaster was a young woman, had never been in jail before, was likely to rehabilitate and was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.
Judge Williams recognised McMaster had expressed "deep remorse" showed strong concern for Ms Hando's family, emergency service workers and people from the farmhouse.
However said there were a "trifecta of factors" that went against McMaster's bid for a jail term to be served in the community, namely the drugs, alcohol and sleep deprivation.
"It is a difficult sentencing exercise because its fair to say no sentence that this court can ever impose can bring back Ms Hando, that's a given," she said.
"This court cannot be weak and merciful."
With a finding of special circumstances, McMaster was sentenced to three years imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 20 months in jail.
Upon release McMaster will also be disqualified from driving for 18 months.