December 13, 2017 4:00pm by David Farrar

Killer gets just 27 months

A teenaged driver who hooned straight through an intersection and slammed into another car – killing one of its occupants – has been labelled a “poster boy” for arrogant, self-entitled young male drivers.

Stefan Lee Hannon McGinn was jailed for two years and three months when he appeared in the Hamilton District Court on Monday on charges of dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing injury.

A sentence of 27 months may see him out in just over a year. Now that may be an adequate sentence for some cases of dangerous driving causing death, the details of this case suggest much longer is needed as there is no sign at all he is remorseful or won’t kill again due to dangerous driving.

Basically the details are:

Was already disqualified from driving due to demerits
Even if not disqualified should not have had passengers as had a learners
Car had not been warranted since 2014
Was texting just before the crash
Blamed the crash on failed brakes – were found to work perfectly
Lied to Police about the texting
Failed to show up for four scheduled interviews with the police
Refused to give Police his home address
Gave a false home address to the Police
Failed to attend a pre-sentence meeting with his probation officer
Has been caught driving again

This little punk is just a timebomb. I really can’t see such a short sentence having any impact on his behaviour.

Someone who apparently did understand the consequences was Hannon McGinn’s mother, who had withheld consent for her home to be used as a home-detention venue.

Good on the mother for not allowing him to get an ever lesser sentence of home detention.

I hope I am wrong but I suspect within hours of getting out of prison he’ll be driving again.