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Andrew Stafford
A drunk, speeding motorist was looking for a “thrill” when he fatally struck a nine-year-old boy in front of his family, a court has been told.
Keith Andrew Chambers faces up to 20 years in jail under new state legislation over the horror crash that killed the child as his family were riding e-bikes on the Gold Coast.
Chambers, who was 47 at the time, was at least three times over the legal blood-alcohol limit and driving up to 60km/h over the speed limit when he struck Aiden Guimaraes and his father, David, in October 2024.
Aiden was riding pillion with his dad in a designated lane ahead of his mother, Andrea, and brother Gabriel, who were travelling on another e-bike.
The father was critically injured and remained unconscious when the mother had to make the heartbreaking decision to turn off the boy’s life support later that day.
Prosecutor Nathan Crane told Brisbane Supreme Court on Tuesday that Chambers’ driving was deliberately anti-social.
“It must be that driving for him, in this way, was a thrill,” he said.
Chambers was driving between 113km/h and 134km/h at the time of impact – as much as 64km/h over the 70km/h speed limit.
The battery for the e-bike hit in the crash was found more than 60 metres away because of the force of the collision.
Chambers’ blood-alcohol content was measured at between 0.176 and 0.193 per cent almost two hours after the collision.
Aiden’s mother wept as she read a victim impact statement to the court, saying Chambers’ name was now etched into her brain “like cancer”.
“A parent should never have to bury their child,” she said.
“Keith Andrew Chambers has devastated my family and taken from us a future that will never be restored.”
Moving statements by Aiden’s father and brother were also read to the packed court, with David Guimaraes saying he lived with constant pain from his injuries.
Chambers, who has a criminal history in NSW and an extensive record of driving offences in Queensland, struggled to control his emotions as he pleaded guilty to the charges.
Defence barrister Ambyr Cousen submitted Chambers’ apology to the Guimaraes family to the court.
“Nothing I say today is intended to take away from the consequences of his actions,” she said.
“His letter to the court does show that his remorse is genuine.”
She argued for a sentence of less than 10 years, with parole set between four and five years. Chambers has already served 489 days in custody.
Crane said under state legislation passed in April 2024, Chambers could serve up to 20 years in prison, listing the speed, high level of intoxication and the death of a child under 12 as aggravating circumstances.
Justice Glenn Martin said he would take up to a week to consider Chambers’ sentence.
AAP
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