Where's the justice? - Motorcyclist walks free after killing war veteran
Will Jackson -
A DRUNK motorcyclist who struck and killed an elderly war veteran will walk free with a fine and suspended licence.
Bradley John Gleeson, 22, was illegally riding an unregistered 80cc dirt bike in a Watsonia street when he hit 75-year-old Thomas McCarthy as he crossed the road to his home.
Gleeson, who did not have a motorcycle licence or a helmet, was taken to the Austin Hospital with minor injuries. A blood test found he had an alcohol reading of 0.086.
Grandfather-of-two Mr McCarthy died at the scene of the December 2, 2006, crash, despite the best efforts of wife Patricia and neighbours to save him.
Gleeson, who lives in Nepean St, a few doors away from Mrs McCarthy, last week pleaded guilty in Broadmeadows Koori Court to drink-driving, riding an unregistered motorcycle, riding without a licence and failing to wear a helmet.
Gleeson will be sentenced in September, but Magistrate Robert Kumar told the court the maximum penalty he could impose was a fine and a licence suspension.
A distraught Mrs McCarthy told
DV Leader she could not understand why Gleeson had not faced more serious charges that would attract a greater penalty.
"If you were out joyriding and you knocked someone over and killed them, you would think it would be manslaughter," she said.
"You feel powerless, but as a law-abiding citizen you just have to accept it."
She said her husband, a Korean War veteran, had not deserved to die in a gutter on his way home from the RSL.
Mrs McCarthy said she was denied victims-of-crime compensation to pay for Mr McCarthy's funeral because the crime had been deemed not serious enough.
Victoria Police spokeswoman Sgt Creina O'Grady said police needed evidence a motorist had been speeding excessively or impaired by drugs or alcohol to charge them with culpable or dangerous driving.
Officers investigating the case would have considered all potential charges before going to court, Sgt O'Grady said.
The court heard Gleeson was also a victim of the tragedy and had started drinking heavily after the accident, despite joining a treatment program.
After consulting two Aboriginal elders in the court, Magistrate Kumar adjourned sentencing until September to give Gleeson a chance to address his drinking problem.