A driver has been jailed for dangerously speeding and weaving through traffic on Sydney’s Anzac Bridge before ploughing into two people in a fatal collision.
Adeeb Sukkar, 43, appeared in the NSW District Court on Wednesday to be sentenced after being found guilty of two counts of dangerous driving causing death on December 2, 2022.
The court was told he reached speeds of nearly 90km/h on the 60km/h road and unsafely darted through traffic before he smashed into the back of a stationary car driven by Amy Lim, 25.
Ms Lim had stopped with Hongyi Zhang, 38, to exchange details after a minor collision that happened while they were driving towards the city just before midnight.
Less than six minutes later, Mr Sukkar crashed into Ms Lim’s car, which in turn struck Mr Zhang and Ms Lim.
Both drivers died at the scene of “catastrophic blunt force injuries”, Chief Judge Sarah Huggett said during sentencing.
Sukkar spoke with police after the fatal crash and told them he had been on his way to Crown Casino when the horror crash occurred.
The court was told he had been speeding at nearly 20km/h over the posted speed limit only seconds before the impact.
“Where did those two people come from?” he asked the police.
“Those two cars in front, I have no f***ing idea where they’ve come from.”
Judge Huggett dismissed any suggestion that the victims had contributed to their own deaths by stopping in a lane instead of to the side of the bridge.
“The deceased did not contribute to Sukkar’s decision to drive in the manner he did,” she said.
The judge acknowledged Sukkar was genuinely remorseful for causing the deaths of two people due to his dangerous driving.
“My driving was dangerous and inexcusable,” Sukkar wrote in a letter to the victims’ families.
“I can’t imagine the grief and suffering you must feel and I don’t blame you for hating me.”
He said he took “full responsibility” for his actions and he understood that nothing he said could atone for the loss of Ms Lim and Mr Zhang.
“I deeply regret my behaviour,” Sukkar said.
Judge Huggett accepted Sukkar’s dangerous driving had caused “immense heartache” for the victims’ loved ones but reminded them the sentence imposed by the court “does not and cannot reflect the value of the lives of Mr Zhang and Ms Lim”.
She sentenced Sukkar to five years behind bars with a non-parole period of two years and six months.
He is also disqualified from driving for three years.
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