Source : Perth Now news
A Melbourne grandmother was left fighting for her life after she was run over by her own stolen car while taking her sick husband to hospital.
Mary Iviglia had stopped near the emergency department at Casey Hospital during the morning of April 23 last year to rush her sick husband inside when homeless man Adam Barry, 26, jumped into the idling Ford Territory.
Ms Iviglia, who had returned to properly park the car, rushed over and asked what he was doing.
“I’m taking this,” Barry responded.
Ms Iviglia was dragged by the vehicle for a short distance before falling and being run over by the vehicle as Barry fled the scene.
She suffered life threatening injuries, included a fractured right eye socket, fractured ribs and collapsed left lung and traumatic shoulder pain.
Barry returned before the County Court in Melbourne on Tuesday afternoon where he was jailed for three years and nine months, after pleading guilty to charges including dangerous driving causing serious injury and failing to stop after an accident.
Handing down the sentence, Judge Anthony Lewis said Barry had been discharged from the hospital after a two-night stay and was feeling agitated and abandoned when he stole the vehicle to have somewhere to sleep.
The judge said the former bricklayer’s actions on the day were “morally reprehensible” and must be denounced.
“Your conduct in leaving the scene involved an entirely selfish decision and a shocking lack of care for Ms Iviglia,” he said.
The court was told bystanders rushed in to help the injured woman, while Barry drove away and later used her credit card to purchase cigarettes McDonalds and fuel.
In a victim impact statement to the court, Judge Lewis said Ms Iviglia had been left with profound and lasting trauma of the event and psychical injuries that prevent her from doing activities she used to enjoy.
She recounted lying in the back of an ambulance “terrified she was about to pass away”.
The court was told Barry had a dysfunctional and traumatic upbringing and had been homeless and a daily user of drugs for much of his adult life.
He had also been since diagnosed with PTSD and major depressive disorder.
In a handwritten letter, he said he was “genuinely sorry for any physical and emotional trauma … because of my actions”.
Judge Lewis said “tragically”, Barry had reported his life was more stable in jail, with the supports of the system improving his sleep and mood.
The judge said Barry would require a “period of intense supervision” when he is inevitably released into the community.
Barry will be eligible for parole in October 2027 after serving two-and-a-half years of his sentence.
