Man Forgives Drunk Driver for Killing his Family

A man whose wife and unborn twins were killed by a drunk driver has given powerful evidence in Court and forgiven the man responsible. Bronko Hoang’s pregnant wife Katherine died after Richard Moananu’s vehicle crashed into her in September 2018. She was due to give birth within days. A 17-year-old learner driver was also killed as a result of the collision in western Sydney. Mr Hoang had to wait over 2 years until he was able to confront Moananu in Court.

Mr Moananu admitted that on the day of the incident, he had been drinking alcohol for a period of over 8 hours. He began at 10.30am and continued to consume alcohol until approximately 6.45pm. His blood results after the incident indicated that he was more than 4 times over the legal limit, registering a .204 blood alcohol reading. This falls under the category of ‘high range drink driving‘. To further aggravate the offending, he was driving on an expired licence and travelling more than 45km/h over the speed limit. The agreed facts detailed that Moananu veered onto the wrong side of the road and his vehicle crashed into the Hoang’s vehicle.

Mr Moananu was initially charged with a number of offences, including high range drink driving and his matter listed at Penrith Local Court. After months of negotiations with the prosecution, the 31-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter and one count of aggravated dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm in Penrith District Court. It is not uncommon for negotiations to take place between Police and Criminal Defence Lawyers. As it pertains to Mr Moananu’s case, experienced Penrith Criminal Lawyers may have been able to persuade the prosecution to withdraw the manslaughter charge in lieu of a plea of guilty to a charge of dangerous driving occasioning death. This is because manslaughter carries far harsher drunk drivier penalties than dangerous driving occasioning death.

Judge Buscombe presided over the sentencing hearing at Penrith District Court where Mr Hoang gave evidence. He told the Court that he could not attend his wife’s funeral due to his injuries and was forced to watch video of his wife being carried in a coffin and buried.

Moananu told the Court about how his childhood had been marred by domestic violence perpetrated by his father on both himself and his mother. Barrister Tony Evers submitted that the Court must give full weight to Moananu’s deprived childhood. This childhood meant he had no skills to address his problems.References from people who knew Mr Moananu described him as a kind, gentle and caring man who went out of his way to help others. His Honour Judge Buscombe will deliver sentence on 5 November 2020 at Penrith District Court.