Neale Jacob Duncalfe: Broome man imprisoned for drink-driving crash that killed beloved teacher Hannah Bevan

A 21-year-old Broome man has been sentenced to three and a half years prison for being drunk behind the wheel when his car crashed resulting in the death of a much beloved Looma school teacher. In the early hours of the morning of May 29, 2022, Broome man Neale Jacob Duncalfe was driving drunk and speeding when his silver Toyota Hilux rolled on Fairway Drive throwing 29-year-old teacher Hannah Bevan from the vehicle and killing her. In sentencing, District Court Judge Belinda Lonsdale said the man had displayed a selfish disregard for the safety of others. “It is difficult to imagine more selfish conduct than that which you engaged in that night,” she said. Duncalfe had been drinking at the Roebuck Hotel with three friends after finishing his shift as a security guard at the venue at 12:30am before the crash occurred. Duncalfe’s manager warned him multiple times to stop drinking as he was due to start work the following morning at 8am but Duncalfe ignored the warning. Ms Bevan — who was drinking with a friend of Duncalfe — entered the Hilux after Duncalfe offered to drive the group home at 2am despite being inebriated. Prosecutor Sarah Jessup told the court Duncalfe had been speeding at 110km per hour when he crossed from the sealed section of Fairway Drive to the unsealed gravel section of the road. The vehicle travelled 150 metres on the unsealed road before Duncalfe lost control and hit a sandbank causing Ms Bevan to be thrown 25 metres from the vehicle resulting in her death. Duncalfe received injuries to his elbow while one passenger received multiple life-threatening injuries including multiple spinal fractures, a spine ligament injury, a rib fracture and a kidney laceration among other injuries. The court also heard that the rear seatbelts in Duncalfe’s vehicle, where Ms Bevan was sitting, did not work at the time of the crash. The P-plate driver had a blood alcohol level of 0.124 at the time of the crash. In an impact statement, Ms Bevan’s older sister, who was Hannah’s main guardian in childhood, described the trauma her sister’s death has had on her family. “Losing Hannah has been akin to losing my first born child,” she said. “We all continue to have days where debilitating grief prevents us from attending work, being able to sleep due to anxiety and nightmares and starting everyday without an overwhelming feeling of panic and nausea.” Ms Bevan also described how her sister’s death impacted the community of Looma and Fitzroy Crossing who deeply grieved for the much loved teacher resulting in Looma traditional owners naming an area near the Fitzroy River as “Hannah’s Place”. “Hannah was robbed of her life and we were robbed of her shining light,” Ms Bevan said. Duncalfe’s lawyer Brooke Sojan acknowledged that no sentence could replace the loss of Ms Bevan’s life. “The reality of the situation is that there is no sentence that your honour can impose that can appropriately measure the loss of human life,” she said. Duncalfe, who has no prior criminal record, was sentenced to three and a half years prison and is suspended from driving for three years, although he is eligible for parole.