Arabic version: سائقة تعترف بالذنب في حادث في بالميرستون أودى بحياة راكب

A Darwin Local Court hearing on Tuesday saw Stephanie Akehurst plead guilty to careless driving, failing to give way and driving with a drug in her system after a 2024 crash that killed 56-year-old motorcyclist Anthony Hobden.

According to ABC News, Hobden was riding home on his Harley Davidson in Palmerston when his motorcycle struck a car that failed to give way and he was flung into the air. Police carried out a roadside saliva test at the scene that was negative for drugs and alcohol, but Akehurst later admitted to smoking a joint the night before and blood tests detected a small amount of cannabis. Prosecutor Jeremy Bandwell told the court the level had a “small adverse effect on her driving.” Blood tests also showed Hobden had a cannabis concentration three times higher than Akehurst’s, though the court heard there was no evidence that the drug in Hobden’s system contributed to the crash.

Mr Hobden’s family attended the hearing and delivered victim impact statements, describing profound grief and calling for a sentence that “reflects the value of the life that was lost.” His sister Sue Betts told the court the family had been “robbed” of a life with their loved one and that “we will carry this loss every single day for the rest our lives and our family will never be the same.” His brother, Dave Hobden, said he was “f***ing furious” and urged the judge to send Akehurst to prison. Akehurst’s lawyer, Beth Wild, described the incident as “momentary inattention,” argued her client’s culpability was low, and said Akehurst had shown “genuine, heartfelt, and long-term remorse,” asking the court to impose a fine or community corrections order instead of jail.

The case was framed in the court as part of a broader road safety concern in the Northern Territory. Prosecutor Bandwell noted Hobden’s death was one of 60 road fatalities across the NT in 2024 — double the 2023 figure and the territory’s highest in a decade — and argued that the courts needed to make clear that such conduct is serious. Judge Steve Ledek said he needed time to consider an appropriate punishment and referenced the need for general deterrence, asking whether the community expectation was that “enough is enough?”

What happens next: Akehurst will return to court for sentencing on August 7 and will remain on bail until that hearing.

Related sections: Australia/استراليا | Western Australia | Northern Territory