Jake Danby's sentence was extended to two years of home detention without jail time after he fatally hit an Aboriginal man, angering the victim's family.
Jake Danby was involved in a hit-and-run incident in Darwin, where he fatally struck an Aboriginal man and injured another. Initially sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order that included five months of home detention, his punishment drew significant public outcry, prompting the Northern Territory Director of Public Prosecutions to appeal on grounds that the original sentence was 'manifestly inadequate'.
Following the appeal, the court upheld the Director’s concerns and modified Danby’s sentence to include an extension of his home detention to two years and the requirement to wear an electronic monitoring device. The judicial decision was announced by Chief Justice Michael Grant and reflects a recognition of the public sentiment that demanded stricter consequences for Danby's actions.
However, the family of the victim has expressed their anguish and frustration over the lack of prison time for Danby, whose dismissive comments about the incident have further exacerbated their grief. They voiced their anger and sorrow, feeling that justice has not been served properly, highlighting deeper societal issues regarding the treatment of Indigenous Australians in the justice system.
