A Kimberley woman who reversed a car over her partner while under the influence of alcohol, inflicting injuries that led to her death, has been found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to five years' jail.
Tamara Louise Lorimer has been on trial this week at the WA Supreme Court in Broome, charged with unlawfully killing her partner Doreen Lindsay.
The court heard Lorimer had been drinking with Ms Lindsay at their home in Cable Beach in November 2021, when Lorimer received a phone call from a friend asking for help.
Lorimer and three others got into her ute and reversed from the driveway, hitting Ms Lindsay and running over her body.
Ms Lindsay later died from her injuries in Broome Hospital.
On Monday, prosecutor Michael Cvetkoski told the court the state would make the argument Lorimer was criminally negligent in her conduct and said she "appeared affected by alcohol" when police attended the scene.
He said the court would hear evidence Lorimer had reversed the car "at speed", and had not looked to see if the way was clear despite knowing her partner was intoxicated.
Mr Cvetkoski said testing at the hospital around four hours after the incident revealed Lorimer's blood alcohol level was around 0.121 per cent.
Defence lawyer Seamus Rafferty strongly rejected the prosecutor's claim, saying his client was not criminally responsible.
He made the argument Lorimer's driveway was unusually shaped to include a blind spot, and no amount of due diligence would have allowed her to have seen Ms Lindsay walk behind the car.
"A beloved, much-respected young woman lost her life ... a young, well-respected woman also lost her partner," Mr Rafferty said.
"There is no number Your Honour can impose to reflect the loss and value of that loved one."
In handing down his sentence of five years' jail, Chief Justice Peter Quinlan said the matter was a "wasteful tragedy".
"There are no winners in a case like this," he said.
"It only takes a second to take another person's life.
"Any sentence in court couldn't begin to value a person's life."
Lorimer will be eligible for parole on June 23, 2026.
Family and friends of both parties were in court today to hear the verdict.