A group of MPs from North and Far North Queensland will begin a push for tougher bail laws for all offenders, following the death of a newlywed in a car crash allegedly involving a man who had breached bail.
Wayde Chiesa, Terry James and Bree James are behind the push, with the government’s Breach of Bail, Go to Jail policy currently only covering youth offenders.
Those laws are yet to go through parliament, with the government promising to pass them before the end of the year.
Now, Bree James, who’s Barron River electorate in Cairns is mourning the loss of 25-year-old Savannah Spence Paige, who died in a car crash with a man allegedly on bail last week, wants to see them applied to everyone.
“I’m now calling for bail reform to be extended to adults with mandatory minimums for those who breach their bail. The community is demanding it, and we should do it,” she said in a statement to Nine News.
The policy gained traction during Chiesa’s eventually successful tilt at the Townsville seat Hinchinbrook, previously held by the Katter’s Australian Party’s Mick Dametto, who quit to become the town’s mayor.
Spence Paige’s death in Cairns last Wednesday, allegedly caused by 36-year-old Jake Edward Warn while he was under the influence in a stolen Land Cruiser and already on bail for unrelated offences, has given the push for their expansion a face.
Spence Paige had only recently moved to the area from the Gold Coast with her husband.
Via a statement following the crash, the Spence family said there was a hole in their hearts that could not be filled.
“We are beyond devastated by her passing. Savannah was beautiful inside and out, with a smile that lit up every room,” they wrote.
With Reece D’Alessandro
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