An ACT Supreme Court judge has declared a young man involved in a fatal crash as unfit to ever hold a driver's licence again, citing a profound lack of "capacity, maturity, or common sense".
Court Delivers Scathing Assessment and Jail Term
Acting Justice Patricia Kelly delivered the stern rebuke to 22-year-old Jaydon Michael Chauveau in the ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday, December 17, 2025. The judge explicitly told Chauveau, "I don't think you're a fit and proper person to hold a licence," before disqualifying him from driving indefinitely.
In addition to the unprecedented licence suspension, Chauveau was sentenced to a prison term of three years and three months. He will be eligible for parole in February 2027 after serving a non-parole period of nearly two years.
The Tragic Events of April 2024
The charges stem from a devastating incident on the morning of April 17, 2024. Chauveau was driving a stolen Genesis GV80 SUV at high speed alongside a Toyota Camry on Adelaide Avenue, near Parliament House. CCTV footage from the Prime Minister's residence, The Lodge, captured both vehicles.
The driver of the Camry lost control, causing the car to roll multiple times. Tragically, a 15-year-old passenger was ejected from the vehicle and died.
Chauveau admitted to driving the Camry's surviving driver and another passenger away from the crash scene. In an attempt to conceal his involvement, he later drove the stolen Genesis to a park and set it alight. Acting Justice Kelly condemned this act of arson as an "intrinsically dangerous act that could have led to much greater damage."
Sentencing Considers Background and Public Outcry
In determining the sentence, Justice Kelly acknowledged Chauveau's severely disadvantaged background and mental health issues, which she accepted significantly impaired his decision-making on the day of the crash. These factors also reduced his moral culpability for the charge of being an accessory after the fact.
The court heard Chauveau's criminal history was "woeful." He was originally charged with accessory to manslaughter but pleaded guilty after the charge was downgraded.
The sentencing provoked a visible reaction from the public gallery. Two people, who appeared to be supporters of the deceased teenager, left the courtroom before Justice Kelly finished her remarks. One man was heard to mutter, "What a joke," as he departed.
The alleged driver of the fatal Camry crash has denied a charge of manslaughter and is scheduled to face trial in 2026.
