Family of motorcyclist killed in Brisbane crash calls for tougher sentencing laws
When Brisbane mother-of-two Chrissy Hembrow said goodbye to her husband Ken on January 11, she expected to see him again in a few hours at work.
But when the 37-year-old never made it to the hair salon they owned together, Hembrow knew something was wrong.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Ride for justice honours father killed in Queensland motorcycle crash.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Ken had been fatally struck by a car while riding his motorcycle.
The motorcyclist was lawfully lane filtering when he was hit by a car, knocked off his bike and ran over on Queen St in Brisbane’s CBD.
The 62-year-old driver was charged with driving without due care and attention and sentenced to six months in jail, suspended after two months.
He was also disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for two years.
Seven months on, Hembrow is calling for justice and harsher penalties to protect motorcyclists on the roads.
The couple were high school sweethearts, she told 7NEWS at the memorial Justice for Ken ride on Sunday.
“He’s a great guy, really genuine,” she said.
“We feel the eight weeks was a very inadequate sentence.”
Off-duty New Zealand paramedic Lovena Walker tried to help in Ken’s final moments and agreed the sentence was a slap on the wrist.
“I performed CPR with the help of other people and gave instructions to people,” she told 7NEWS.
“The law needs to be changed.”
Speaking to Sunrise, Hembrow said her husband was someone who always put others before himself.
“We’re fighting for justice for Ken and for tougher sentencing in Australia,” she said.
“He was an amazing man, a great husband and a great father to our two little girls.”
Trudy Reading from community group Voice for Victims called for more answers.
“Chrissy’s just another victim that’s been left down by the system, a justice system that does not support victims,” she said.
“We want to be able to help them to navigate this system and also to get some answers.”
Multiple politicians were invited to the event but Hembrow said none turned up.
The family claimed they have received no personal support.
The police minister’s office told 7NEWS it was in contact with the family and would ensure they received the help they needed.
- With Rebekah Jensen
Originally published on 7NEWS
