Cape Town - The man held responsible for the death of 24-year-old Lauren Devine, who died when an object crashed through the windscreen of her vehicle on the M3 and hit her in the face, is “a lucky boy who got off lightly”, according to her mother, Alison Devine.
She was speaking to Weekend Argus yesterday after the Athlone Magistrate’s Court sentenced 33-year-old Johan Crous to three years of correctional supervision for her daughter’s death.
Crous’s car crashed into the guardrail separating the lanes on the M3 highway and a rock, or object, which dislodged during the accident, smashed through Devine’s daughter’s windscreen, killing her.
Crous and his wife had been drinking beer before the crash, although a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol was subsequently withdrawn. He was convicted of culpable homicide and yesterday sentenced to correctional supervision.
Devine said although she was not angry or vengeful, bearing in mind the number of fatalities on South Africa’s roads as a result of negligent driving, she thought that Crous should serve a term in jail.
“The more people are convicted and jailed, the more awareness there is,” she said.
Western Cape Transport and Public Works MEC Robin Carlisle said he respected the sentence, but was disappointed that a term of direct imprisonment was not imposed.
“I remain certain that effective jail time is the appropriate sentence for someone like Crous. Too often people have been able to evade the conditions of house arrest, making the sentence itself ineffective in serving as a proper deterrent to dangerous and life-threatening behaviour on our roads,” he said.
Weekend Argus