John Bond, a Kraaifontein father whose eight-year-old daughter was knocked down and killed by a drunk driver, says he is not satisfied with the jail sentence given to the man responsible for his daughter’s death as “it would not bring her back to life”.
On Friday August 24, the Bond family and friends gathered at the Kuils River Magistrate’s Court for the sentencing of Bradley Gysman who was sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted on charges of culpable homicide, drunk and reckless driving and driving without a valid driver’s licence following Nadia’s death.
Nadia was knocked down by Gysman, then aged 19, while visiting a friend in Scottsville on Friday September 18, 2015.
She suffered internal bleeding, a broken neck and brain damage and was taken to the Kuils River Day Hospital by Gysman and later transferred to Red Cross Children’s Hospital.
Nadia’s injuries proved fatal and she died the next day (“Culpable homicide docket sent to NPA”, Northern News, March 9 2016).
Mr Bond was furious about the report that was read in court, and said he was unhappy with what was stated in the report.
“It was all complete hogwash. An ambulance was not called at the scene, the man who knocked her down had picked her up and taken her to the day hospital which is something he should not have done. And he gets four years for taking my daughter’s life – it’s unacceptable. Even if he was charged for 100, years it would never bring her back.”
Since Nadia’s death Mr Bond has teamed up with the South Africans Against Drunk Driving(SADD) organisation directed by Caro Smit, a mother who lost her 23-year-old daughter in a car crash in 2015.
SADD was formed to address issues such as drunk and dangerous driving and failure to wear seatbelts, and is a platform to support families who have encountered a loss in a similar way and to encourage others to use roads safely.
Ms Smit said although Gysman could be sentenced for a longer period, having drunk drivers jailed had become more common.
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