8 Apr 2015

Jogger's family angry at sentence

6:20 pm on 8 April 2015

The brother of a woman killed while out jogging last year says the man who ran her down should have been sent to prison.

Karl Anthony Peacock, 29, was sentenced in the Hawera District Court today on a charge of aggravated careless driving causing death.

He had admitted to hitting and killing mother of three DeAnne Cooper while she was running on a rural road in May last year.

Peacock, a farmhand, was overtaking a slower vehicle as he drove towards Hawera and was on the wrong side of the road when he hit Mrs Cooper from behind.

DeAnne Cooper's brother Aiden Wards said the sentencing judge actually reduced Peacock's sentence because of the restorative justice session.

Mr Wards said his experience with the justice system had been frustating and he felt powerless as the family wanted Peacock to get a custodial sentence.

"And we didn't know until court that he had 64 previous infringements and lost his licence four or five times.

"We just thought he's not learning from his mistakes and he keeps going until he kills someone and he gets six months home detention as a slap on the wrist."

Peacock was also disqualified from driving for two-and-a-half years and ordered to pay $6000 in emotional harm reparations to Mrs Cooper's family.