

Canberra cop avoids jail over fatal crash

A man whose sister was killed when a police officer running a red light T-boned her car wants to make sure no other families suffer the same tragedy.
The Canberra officer responsible for killing Amanda Beehag has avoided jail for the crash, walking away from the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday with a suspended sentence and good behaviour bond.
Her brother Richard Beehag holds no ill will towards the officer, who has since left the force.
But he wants the Australian Federal Police to properly enforce the rules about how its officers drive during emergencies.
"I would like to hear what steps, if any, are going to be put in place so this doesn't happen again," Mr Beehag told reporters outside court.
He will soon be writing to the AFP.
"The tragedy of this situation is it might happen to other people," Mr Beehag said.

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"Let's hope that other people don't suffer this and that there can be more care and duty given at any point in the public service."
Lachlan Chancellor, 38, ran through a red light at an intersection in Kaleen while responding to an urgent call in May 2018, colliding with Ms Beehag's car.
He was sentenced to four months and seven days in prison after pleading guilty to negligent driving causing death.
The sentence was wholly suspended, with the Canberra police officer put on a 12-month good behaviour bond.
In handing down the sentence, Justice David Mossop told the court the crash not only hurt the victim's family but the community at large.
"No one expects to be killed on their way home from the shops by a police officer who is driving through a red light," he told the court.
Justice Mossop said the collision was completely avoidable, noting Chancellor had undergone specialised driver training.
But he acknowledged Chancellor's early guilty plea and apology to the victim's family.
Justice Mossop said no penalty other than prison would be adequate, but did not think full-time custody was necessary.
Chancellor, who was in the police force for more than 12 years, refused to comment outside court.
"I've said everything I needed to say ... I'm not going to disrespect the family by saying anything else," he told reporters.
© AAP 2019

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