The widow of a man who was killed during a high-speed police chase has slammed authorities after a court ruled the pursuit should not have been authorised.
Canberra father-of-two and IT engineer Harri Jokinen, 56, was killed by a getaway driver on the Monaro Highway, outside Canberra, on December 30, 2021.
Following a police pursuit, Moruya man Marc Anthony Jessop reached speeds of nearly 200km/h in a stolen black Holden Commodore before he collided with Mr Jokinen’s van.
The 56-year-old died of injuries at the scene.
On Friday, deputy state coroner Rebecca Hosking described the risk posed by the police pursuit as ‘excessive’ after handing down her findings following a week-long coronial inquest in April.
Mr Jokinen’s widow Elisabeth Adamson told the Sydney Morning Herald the incident was ‘an absolute, complete failure of the police’.
The incident left Mr Jokinen’s family heartbroken, including his eldest daughter Lisa who told the masthead she felt ‘really let down’ by the police and described her father as ‘gentle, kind and endlessly generous’.
‘I hate that I will never get to see my dad again, I’ll never get to hug him, tell him I love him, and hear him saying it back,’ she said.
‘On 30th December, 2021, I wish I had been killed too.’
NSW highway patrol officers decided to give chase after spotting Jessop driving at speeds of 157km/h earlier that morning.
They called off the chase after Jessop reached speeds of 180km/h before initiating a second pursuit despite having no evidence the offender had begun to speed or drive dangerously again since the initial chase ceased, the coronial inquest found.
Jessop was sentenced to 10 years in jail after pleading guilty to Jokinen’s manslaughter.
According to ABC News, Magistrate Hosking told Lidcome Coroner’s Court: ‘The need to apprehend Jessop was low-to-moderate.’
She ruled the second pursuit should not have been authorised and recommended police policy be amended to prevent initiating a pursuit unless it is deemed safe to do so.
Magistrate Hosking also recommended officers undergo training on the thresholds required to initiate a pursuit.
NSW Police was contacted for comment.