Carlie Richards found mentally incompetent over fatal Adelaide crash that killed Erica Hoy
Erica Hoy, 26, had been sitting in the backseat of a Toyota being driven down the Port River Expressway in Gillman, in Adelaide's northwest, by her twin sister when the vehicle was struck from behind by Carlie Richards' Holden Cruze and pushed into the path of an oncoming truck.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Carlie Richards will not be held criminally responsible for deadly crash.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
Richards, 41, was high on meth and travelling almost 100km/h over the 60km/h speed limit at the point of impact, the court was told.
However, she will not be held criminally responsible for Hoy's death in November 2022, after the judge found she was mentally incompetent at the time of the collision — suffering from a schizophrenic disorder — and did not understand that what she was doing was wrong.
Appearing via video link from the Adelaide Women's Prison, Richards cried as the verdict was handed down.
Erica Hoy's twin sister, Lisa, and boyfriend, Mike Reader, were seriously injured in the crash.
Reader told 7NEWS: 'To lose someone they loved so dearly and not see a direct consequence for it ... it's difficult to process.'
'My heart goes out to all of (Hoy's) family. I'll honour her life. She will always have a place in my heart and be my inspiration.'
Richards was uninjured and fled the crash scene.
She later pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident after causing death and harm.
The case will return to court in July for a pre-sentence hearing.
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Content originally sourced from: A teenager who was caught speeding three times in one day at separate points along the Hume Highway has pleaded guilty to six driving offences. 7News reports 19-year-old Jade Muscat was pulled over by police on three separate occasions on Saturday, April 12 in her black Jaguar F-Pace as she attempted to travel from Sydney to Melbourne, breaking multiple road rules in the process. She's now due to appear at Gundagai Local Court for sentencing on August 15, and police have reportedly requested her car be forfeited to the crown upon her conviction under section 245 of the Road Transport Act. Under the Act, a vehicle is eligible for confiscation by the government if its driver commits a serious offence for a second time within five years. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. ABOVE: Image courtesy of 7News The drama began when the teen, from Paddington in Sydney's eastern suburbs, was issued with a speeding ticket after she was clocked travelling at more than 20km/h over the 110km/h limit on the Hume Highway at Gunning, in the NSW Southern Tablelands, at around 10:40am on April 12. After continuing south on the Hume, Ms Muscat was again pulled over by highway patrol officers just over an hour later, after she was detected driving at 215km/h about 11:45am at Tumblong just south of Gundagai. Police issued her with a court attendance notice for two offences – driving at a dangerous speed and exceeding speeds more than 45km/h as a green P-plater. They suspended her licence, confiscated her number plates and issued her with a confiscation notice, which was affixed to her windscreen. ABOVE: Jaguar F-Pace But less than two hours later at about 1:30pm, police received a complaint about a black SUV without number plates weaving in and out of traffic and driving at excess speed while travelling south on the Hume near Little Billabong. Police apprehended Ms Muscat after taking up a stationary position on the Hume Highway at Table Top, before taking her to Albury police station. She was charged with a further five charges – drive recklessly/furiously or speed/manner dangerous, Class A motor vehicle exceed speed more than 45 km/h, drive motor vehicle while licence suspended, operate vehicle during number-plate confiscation period, and tamper with number-plate confiscation notice. Police later dropped one of the seven charges, which was issued during the second speeding incident – P2 exceed speed more than 45km/h – and Ms Muscat pleaded guilty to the six remaining charges during court hearings in Gundagai and Albury last month. ABOVE: Jade Muscat via social media Court documents obtained by 7News show Ms Muscat told police in Albury that she continued to drive because "she needed to get to Melbourne to see family" and "had no other means of getting there as police in Gundagai told her there were no trains from there". "Police formed the opinion that the accused had no regard for other people on the road and showed no remorse relating to her driving behaviour," according to the documents, which stated the sequence of events occurred during fine, sunny weather on sealed, dry roads while traffic was "medium to heavy due to school holidays and families travelling". "Gundagai is a township with a 24-hour service centre, and a bus service that is available for travel if booked." Content originally sourced from: A teenager who was caught speeding three times in one day at separate points along the Hume Highway has pleaded guilty to six driving offences. 7News reports 19-year-old Jade Muscat was pulled over by police on three separate occasions on Saturday, April 12 in her black Jaguar F-Pace as she attempted to travel from Sydney to Melbourne, breaking multiple road rules in the process. She's now due to appear at Gundagai Local Court for sentencing on August 15, and police have reportedly requested her car be forfeited to the crown upon her conviction under section 245 of the Road Transport Act. Under the Act, a vehicle is eligible for confiscation by the government if its driver commits a serious offence for a second time within five years. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. ABOVE: Image courtesy of 7News The drama began when the teen, from Paddington in Sydney's eastern suburbs, was issued with a speeding ticket after she was clocked travelling at more than 20km/h over the 110km/h limit on the Hume Highway at Gunning, in the NSW Southern Tablelands, at around 10:40am on April 12. After continuing south on the Hume, Ms Muscat was again pulled over by highway patrol officers just over an hour later, after she was detected driving at 215km/h about 11:45am at Tumblong just south of Gundagai. Police issued her with a court attendance notice for two offences – driving at a dangerous speed and exceeding speeds more than 45km/h as a green P-plater. They suspended her licence, confiscated her number plates and issued her with a confiscation notice, which was affixed to her windscreen. ABOVE: Jaguar F-Pace But less than two hours later at about 1:30pm, police received a complaint about a black SUV without number plates weaving in and out of traffic and driving at excess speed while travelling south on the Hume near Little Billabong. Police apprehended Ms Muscat after taking up a stationary position on the Hume Highway at Table Top, before taking her to Albury police station. She was charged with a further five charges – drive recklessly/furiously or speed/manner dangerous, Class A motor vehicle exceed speed more than 45 km/h, drive motor vehicle while licence suspended, operate vehicle during number-plate confiscation period, and tamper with number-plate confiscation notice. Police later dropped one of the seven charges, which was issued during the second speeding incident – P2 exceed speed more than 45km/h – and Ms Muscat pleaded guilty to the six remaining charges during court hearings in Gundagai and Albury last month. ABOVE: Jade Muscat via social media Court documents obtained by 7News show Ms Muscat told police in Albury that she continued to drive because "she needed to get to Melbourne to see family" and "had no other means of getting there as police in Gundagai told her there were no trains from there". "Police formed the opinion that the accused had no regard for other people on the road and showed no remorse relating to her driving behaviour," according to the documents, which stated the sequence of events occurred during fine, sunny weather on sealed, dry roads while traffic was "medium to heavy due to school holidays and families travelling". "Gundagai is a township with a 24-hour service centre, and a bus service that is available for travel if booked." Content originally sourced from: A teenager who was caught speeding three times in one day at separate points along the Hume Highway has pleaded guilty to six driving offences. 7News reports 19-year-old Jade Muscat was pulled over by police on three separate occasions on Saturday, April 12 in her black Jaguar F-Pace as she attempted to travel from Sydney to Melbourne, breaking multiple road rules in the process. She's now due to appear at Gundagai Local Court for sentencing on August 15, and police have reportedly requested her car be forfeited to the crown upon her conviction under section 245 of the Road Transport Act. Under the Act, a vehicle is eligible for confiscation by the government if its driver commits a serious offence for a second time within five years. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. ABOVE: Image courtesy of 7News The drama began when the teen, from Paddington in Sydney's eastern suburbs, was issued with a speeding ticket after she was clocked travelling at more than 20km/h over the 110km/h limit on the Hume Highway at Gunning, in the NSW Southern Tablelands, at around 10:40am on April 12. After continuing south on the Hume, Ms Muscat was again pulled over by highway patrol officers just over an hour later, after she was detected driving at 215km/h about 11:45am at Tumblong just south of Gundagai. Police issued her with a court attendance notice for two offences – driving at a dangerous speed and exceeding speeds more than 45km/h as a green P-plater. They suspended her licence, confiscated her number plates and issued her with a confiscation notice, which was affixed to her windscreen. ABOVE: Jaguar F-Pace But less than two hours later at about 1:30pm, police received a complaint about a black SUV without number plates weaving in and out of traffic and driving at excess speed while travelling south on the Hume near Little Billabong. Police apprehended Ms Muscat after taking up a stationary position on the Hume Highway at Table Top, before taking her to Albury police station. She was charged with a further five charges – drive recklessly/furiously or speed/manner dangerous, Class A motor vehicle exceed speed more than 45 km/h, drive motor vehicle while licence suspended, operate vehicle during number-plate confiscation period, and tamper with number-plate confiscation notice. Police later dropped one of the seven charges, which was issued during the second speeding incident – P2 exceed speed more than 45km/h – and Ms Muscat pleaded guilty to the six remaining charges during court hearings in Gundagai and Albury last month. ABOVE: Jade Muscat via social media Court documents obtained by 7News show Ms Muscat told police in Albury that she continued to drive because "she needed to get to Melbourne to see family" and "had no other means of getting there as police in Gundagai told her there were no trains from there". "Police formed the opinion that the accused had no regard for other people on the road and showed no remorse relating to her driving behaviour," according to the documents, which stated the sequence of events occurred during fine, sunny weather on sealed, dry roads while traffic was "medium to heavy due to school holidays and families travelling". "Gundagai is a township with a 24-hour service centre, and a bus service that is available for travel if booked." Content originally sourced from:
