Net romance ends in tragedy
THEY met on the internet and spent just one week together.
Young love ended tragically for Victorian Naomi Mason, who was killed when her drink-driving boyfriend Gregory Leonardi slammed his car into a power pole near Innisfail 18 months ago.
Ms Mason was just 18 years old.
Yesterday, a visibly relieved Mr Leonardi, 22, was cleared of dangerous driving causing death while adversely affected, when Magistrate Kerry McFadden ruled there was insufficient evidence to proceed to trial.
Mr Leonardi instead pleaded guilty to a fresh charge of drink-driving immediately after Mr McFadden’s ruling.
The court heard Mr Leonardi had a blood-alcohol reading of 0.09 when breath tested about 90 minutes after he crashed his car on a wet Flying Fish Point Rd near Innisfail, with Ms Mason in the front passenger seat.
Mr McFadden fined him $300 and extended his licence disqualification – which began the day he was charged over the crash – for another month.
Ms Mason’s emotional parents, who travelled from Victoria for the hearing, said they felt deeply let down by the court’s decision.
"We’ve got the life sentence (and) he’s got a month off the road," a teary Joanne Mason said as she and husband Robert added flowers to their daughter’s roadside memorial.
"We’d just say to other young people, please don’t get in cars with drink-
drivers."
The court heard their daughter and Mr Leonardi had been to several Innisfail pubs with friends before he got behind the wheel about 11.30pm.
His friend and back seat passenger Daniel Cheney recounted how the Holden Commodore’s back wheels "slid out" going around a bend on a wet road, and how the car slammed into a power pole.
Police prosecutor Mick O’Rourke said the impact was so great the vehicle "was bent like a banana".
But investigating officer Sgt Duane Amos said it had been impossible to determine what speed the car was travelling when the crash happened.
Mr Cheney testified that his friend, who was catapulted from the car on impact, had not been driving over the 80km/h speed limit.
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Not guilty: Gregory Leonardi leaves Innisfail Magistrate's Court yesterday after being cleared of dangerous driving causing the death of Naomi Mason.
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