University student sentenced to 2.5 years for killing PhD candidate on Kelvin Grove Road

*Outside court, Daniel Angus, the director of QUT’s Digital Media Research Centre, where Srinivas worked, said QUT was continuing to publish Srinivas’ research posthumously, and his supervisory team had been incredibly proud of him, regarding him as a star student.*

*He pointed to structural failings that led to deaths such as Srinivas’ because of decisions to keep higher speed limits and deny access to active transport initiatives.*

*He noted speed limits on other major roads, such as Ipswich Road, had been dropped to 40km/h in some areas. The speed limit on Kelvin Grove Road is 60km/h.*

Airlia Holman jailed for killing student Arjun Srinivas after running red light

A Brisbane judge says she has no choice but to jail a 22-year-old driver who ran a red light before hitting a QUT student, leading to his death.

A Brisbane judge delivered an emotional address to the grieving family of a brilliant QUT student killed by a 22-year-old driver who ran a light that had been red for seven seconds.
Airlia Paige Holman broke down in tears, with her family lingering in court to farewell her after she was sentenced to four months in jail for the August, 2023 incident.

In a case where all sides agreed there were only losers, District Court Judge Jennifer Rosengren made the rare move of addressing family members of Arjun Srinivas, 32, before closing arguments and handing down her sentence.

“Can I say to each of you that I’m so incredibly sorry for your loss,” she told relatives appearing via video link from India.

“I’ve been doing this job for a long, long time now and I’m going to say my experience is these (cases) are the hardest thing I do.

“I have no doubt Arjun was a man in a stage of his life where he was undoubtedly going on to achieve and I’m very sorry that you’re (now) trying to find a way forward.”

The court heard Mr Srinivas had started to walk across a pedestrian crossing near the QUT campus on Kelvin Grove Rd in Kelvin Grove in Brisbane’s inner north about 8.30pm on a clear night.

The light facing Ms Holman, who had the music in her car turned up high, had been red for seven seconds when her car hit Mr Srinivas, the court heard.

He rolled over her car and landed on the road, dying eight days later in hospital.

Ms Holman waited until emergency services and police arrived.

Crown prosecutor Stephanie Gallagher said Holman told police at the scene that she thought the light was green.

She continued to insist on that until January last year when she finally pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death, Ms Gallagher said.

The court heard Holman had two lower-level speeding offences but no criminal history.

Defence barrister Samuel Bain said Holman had overcome a violent upbringing to enrol at QUT in medical engineering.

She was paying her way through university with a job at liquor store BWS, where she had witnessed criminal behaviour, and at one point was couch surfing.

On the day of the crash she finally found permanent accommodation and went out to celebrate before her car hit Mr Srinivas.

He asked for a two-year, wholly suspended jail sentence but Ms Gallagher said the fact a life had been lost meant actual jail was warranted.

Justice Rosengren said while she took into account the mitigating factors the main feature of the case was the need for general deterrence.

“A period in jail is not in the interests of you, your family or the community,’’ she told Holman.

“But the paramount consideration in a case like this is general deterrence. It’s very important if persons commit an offence of this nature that they know they will spend some time in jail.’’

She imposed a head sentence of two-and-a-half years’ jail, suspended after four months in custody, and disqualified Holman from driving for two years.

Since the tragedy QUT colleagues have made plans to erect a memorial plaque and set up a travel bursary, as well as publishing research papers including Mr Srinivas’s name to honour their “brilliant, funny’’ friend.

Professor Daniel Angus said the incident and subsequent court case had been “a period of immense sorrow for us’’.

“We know that days like today will no bring Arjun back,’’ he said.

“These are complex cases. We have to weigh the loss of one of our most trusted and loved members of our community against someone who has to live with the death hanging around their neck for the rest of their lives.’’

A victim impact statement by Mr Srinivas’s beloved sister Chaithanya stated how she had lost her best friend and her mother had lost one of the most important people in her life taken away.

Prof Angus called for better road safety, particularly for cyclists and pedestrians, saying the state government and councils bore some blame for not prioritising the issue.

He said he had asked Brisbane City Council officers to visit the crash scene and called for a lower speed limit on Kelvin Grove Rd but was told that was not possible.

So she ran a red light because of inatention but they’re somehow trying to blame the speed limit?

Well said Prof Daniel Angus: better road safety through speed reduction and better active transport infrastructure will save lives, and encourage more to drive less.
This is a very sad and avoidable story. Vale Arjun.

Just so sad. So sorry to the man who lost his life and his family 🙏

Australia continues to hand out weak sentences. The lack of caring keeps perputating tragic deaths like these.

Who cares if you kill someone with a car. You’ll be out in 4 months

4 MONTHS FOR KILLING SOMEONE BECAUSE YOU’RE DISTRACTED? What a joke. I’m so sick for his family 😭

This whole story sounds like some sort of hollywood tragedy. Sad all round.

Really only four months?

He was such an awesome person. Still gets me every time. Omg.

No winners here. Although it may not feel like the punishment fits the crime, people have to realise how contaminating the prison system is and in some cases the community is best served by limiting this. Condolences to the victims family

I really dislike the language of “her car hit him”. It feels that it is distancing the fact that she proceeded through a stale red light and only once it suited her she pled guilty.

I was crushed by a speeding car that flipped and landed on top of me before rolling off, just over 3 years ago. I have massive permanent injuries. The lady in car in front of me died. Even after me providing first aid. The woman who caused it got to jail time. Im still fighting the insurance 3 years later my life is destroyed and longer ive been fighting it im running out of energy. I dont think i can do this much longer.