1. SNNEWS SHEPPARTON NEWS, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015 3
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Jail for fatal crash
MAN SENTENCED TO AT LEAST TWO YEARS AND THREE MONTHS IN PRISON
By Elaine Cooney
A Tatura farm worker, 41, has
been jailed for dangerous driv-
ing causing death and six
charges of dangerous driving
causing serious injury.
Dong Thanh Do, originally
from Vietnam, but an Austra-
lian citizen since 2004, trans-
ported farm workers and fruit
and vegetables in Shepparton
since 2007.
He pleaded not guilty to dan-
gerous driving.
A Morwell jury found him
guilty on Friday and Judge Sue
Pullen handed down the four
years and two months prison
sentence with a non-parole
period of two years and three
months.
She said the maximum pen-
alty for the charge of dangerous
driving causing death was 10
years’ imprisonment and the
maximum penalty for each of
the charges of dangerous driv-
ing causing serious injury was
five years’ imprisonment.
The court heard Mr Do was
driving his HiAce van with
seven passengers — who had
finished picking broccoli —
along the unsealed Fenaughty
Rd towards the Tatura-Undera
Rd intersection at 1 pm on
October 12, 2012 when the
crash occurred.
‘‘This collision was, no doubt,
a tragedy not only for the seven
victims . . . one deceased and
six seriously injured, but you
also received serious injuries,’’
Judge Pullen said.
Judge Pullen said the jury
determined Mr Do’s driving
created a real risk to members
of the public in the vicinity.
She said as Mr Do
approached Fenaughty Rd, he
failed to stop, look left and the
right and see the prime mover
with trailer travelling towards
him.
‘‘You conceded you did not
come to a complete stop at the
intersection of Fenaughty Rd
and Tatura-Undera Rd and
proceeded through the inter-
section at between 29 and
33 km/h,’’ she said.
She said the woman who
died at the scene received seri-
ous injuries to her heart,
spleen, skull and brain along
with rib and pelvic damage,
while another woman suffered
spinal injuries that prevented
her from walking. She recently
began walking with sticks.
Other victims’ injuries
included a broken neck, rib
fractures, head and liver lacera-
tions, a collapsed lung, frac-
tured vertebra and a pelvis
fracture.
Ms Pullen said Mr Do had
no previous court appearan-
ces, but deterrence was
required when sentencing,
given the number of victims
involved.
‘‘I have, in my opinion,
ordered a short non-parole
period and longer parole period
to reflect the matters . . . which
include your rehabilitation
prospects, language difficulties,
health issues and concerns in
custody for your family’s well-
being,’’ she said.
P-12 portable staying for now
By Sionnie Kelly
Kyabram P-12 College has
received word that its Year 9
building will stay for the time
being.
Kyabram P-12 College was
informed last month that the
Department of Education had
decided to reverse a decision
the previous coalition govern-
ment made to allow it to keep
the building.
The Victorian Government
intended to move the building
to a school in Melbourne’s
south-east as part of a reloca-
table buildings program,
which uses portable buildings
to supplement school facilities
across more than 1500 institu-
tions.
School council president Jar-
rod Gale said the they received
word from the department
yesterday at midday that an
alternative solution for the
Melbourne school had been
found.
A Department of Education
spokesman said the reloca-
table classrooms would
remain at the school for now.
‘‘Representatives from the
department will meet with
Kyabram P-12 College this
week to discuss plans to
address excess space at the
college and any other issues
raised,’’ he said.
Mr Gale said three members
from the department would
visit the school to examine its
facilities on Thursday.
‘‘We’ve kicked the box on a
couple of issues,’’ he said.
‘‘There’s been fantastic sup-
port from the community in
getting behind the cause.’’
Mr Gale said representatives
from the department would
look at buildings with white
ant damage that the school
had deemed unsafe.
Mr Gale, who has one child
in Year 9 and and another in
Year 12, said the community
was happy to hear the build-
ing would be staying for the
time being.
‘‘To keep our Year 9 kids in
the best possible facilities . . .
that was the drive behind the
whole thing,’’ he said.
Plenty of opportunities to clean up region
By Chloe Warburton
Getting hands dirty: Al-
Kasem Youth
Organisation member
Sarmed Yassin will help
clean up an area in
Mooroopna.
Picture: Ray Sizer
With less than a
month until Clean Up
Australia Day, there are
already several teams
registered to help beau-
tify Shepparton and
Mooroopna.
The national day,
which will celebrate its
25th anniversary this
year, encourages
groups to help clean up
and conserve the
environment.
The Mooroopna
Rotary Club, Kiwanis
Club and Girl Guides
have all organised a
site, along with two
sites organised in
Shepparton by Greater
Shepparton City Coun-
cil and the Shepparton-
Mooroopna Urban
Landcare Group.
Mooroopna resident
Jiva Palakrishnan has
also organised a group
called Team Up to
Clean Up after she and
Chandrakumer
Thangarasa were left
disappointed by the
state of the walking
paths near Chinaman’s
Gardens in Moor-
oopna.
‘‘I feel it’s our respon-
sibility to look after our
land,’’ she said.
‘‘I’m just one woman
with one idea and I
didn’t know if it was
going to work out, but
council were excited
when I approached
them about it. We
would love for people to
join our team — there’s
a nice little competition
going on between
teams.’’
Greater Shepparton
City Council waste
education officer Jean
Young said it was heart-
ening to see commun-
ity groups registering
for Clean Up Australia
Day.
‘‘People can just turn
up on the day to join in
with the groups as
well,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s great to have
community groups
approaching council to
help make Shepparton
beautiful. It’s a way of
working together and
educating the com-
munity as well.’’
● Clean Up Australia
Day will take place on
Sunday, March 1, at
various sites. For sites
and starting times, go
to www.cleanup
australiaday.org.au