Matthew McLuckie and Shakira May Adams. Photos: Tom McLuckie/Albert McKnight.
The woman who was driving a vehicle at speeds of at least 177 km/h while high on drugs when it collided head-on with Matthew McLuckie on 19 May 2022 has been sentenced to 14 years behind bars.
Shakira Adams will be eligible for parole in nine years, but Chief Justice Lucy McCallum said the extreme seriousness of the offence meant she should receive the maximum sentence for the crime of culpable driving causing death.
“[The offender] currently poses a significant danger to society,” she said during sentencing on Wednesday (17 December).
The court heard Adams had taken meth and cannabis before driving in a stolen vehicle on the day of Matthew’s death.
It was never decided whether the second vehicle she was driving with was racing her or chasing her, but Chief Justice McCallum said, in the end, that didn’t matter.
“[The offender showed] an atrocious abandonment of responsibility [through conduct that also] rendered herself permanently disabled … and impaired,” she said.
Adams suffered multiple traumatic brain injuries as a result of the crash, as well as spinal and other bone fractures.
Matthew had multiple facial injuries, brain bleeds, a lung injury and extensive blood loss. He died in hospital.
It was determined Adams had driven about 19.5 km in the span of seven minutes on the night of Matthew’s death and she had put multiple other drivers at risk.
“Her manner of driving could hardly have been more dangerous, aggressive or erratic,” Chief Justice McCallum said.
“Almost every second exposed others to risk.”
Chief Justice McCallum accepted Adams had a disadvantaged childhood and that her mother got her addicted to ice when she was 13-years-old.
“She cannot be said to have the same level of responsibility [as someone raised] not with an ice pipe, but with a loving family,” she said.
Adams spent time in foster care and was exposed to abuse, domestic violence and had attempted suicide.
Psychiatric reports noted Adams would be particularly vulnerable in prison due to her disabilities.
But Chief Justice McCallum also said the “beautiful written expressions of grief” from the 13 victim impact statements painted a “vivid picture of this remarkable, bright, red-headed young man who will not be forgotten”.
One of the most “troubling piece[s] of evidence” for Chief Justice McCallum was the fact Adams had still been taking ice while on bail.
“[This] rendered her more dangerous than she was when she committed these offences,” she said.
There were signs of relief from the courtroom when the final, maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment was read out.
The sentence has been backdated to 27 August, 2025, meaning she will be eligible to apply for parole on 26 August 2034.
Adams was also disqualified from driving indefinitely.
The courtroom was filled with Matthew McLuckie’s loved ones, as well as other victims of crime such as four-year-old Blake Corney‘s father Andrew and Irma Palasics‘ grandson John Mikita.
A photograph of Matthew with his father, Tom McLuckie, and his younger brother was placed in the courtroom for the Chief Justice to see during her decision.
Mr McLuckie said relief was the largest emotion he felt upon hearing that his son’s killer would be given the longest prison sentence possible.
“There’s no winners in this situation today. Matthew is not coming back, but I think the Chief Justice, in the ruling, reflected the horrendous crime that took place,” he said.
“[It says that] here, if you drive like that, you’re not going to get slapped on the wrist or a couple of years in jail, you’re up for some serious prison time.”
Mr McLuckie said he hadn’t expected the maximum sentence of 14 years would be handed down, given the law allows for people who plead guilty to receive a reduced sentence. But Chief Justice McCallum instead decided to apply any eligible discounts to the non-parole period.
Since his son’s death, Mr McLuckie has been a fierce advocate for legal change in the ACT, particularly around dangerous driving and bail considerations.
He said this sentence had given him some confidence in the ACT’s justice system again.
“I’m not a lock ’em up and throw away the key advocate, I never have been, but I think: if you commit a serious crime – and there’s no bigger crime than taking a person’s life – then you should actually face punishment,” he said.
“I’m very happy with the judgement.”
Mr McLuckie does expect Adams’ legal team will appeal the decision.
Matt fooling around with his dad, Tom, one Christmas. Photo: Supplied.
For now, he and all of Matthew’s loved ones continue the challenge of facing each day without the young man who had his entire future ahead of him
“Every day’s a challenge, we’re thinking about Matt all the time. Christmas, birthdays, Thursday nights, Friday mornings, it’s very, very difficult to move on,” Mr McLuckie said.
“I’m never going to wake up and be at ease with what happened to my son … and I will always remember him.
“He should be here today, I wish I’d never had to have been in these courts, ever.
“I don’t know if you do move on, but you cope.”
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