The grief of a Newcastle mother has been compounded after the supervisor responsible for her son's death successfully appealed to have his home detention period reduced, just weeks before the second anniversary of the fatal crash.
A Family's Enduring Heartbreak
Christine Mostyn had hoped her powerful words in court would finally make Jeremy Howard understand the devastating consequences of his actions. Instead, she found herself back in Newcastle District Court on Tuesday, reliving the nightmare of losing her 19-year-old son, Jacob.
Jacob Mostyn, an apprentice carpenter, never returned home from work on November 3, 2023. He was a passenger in a BMW driven by his 36-year-old supervisor, Jeremy Howard, when Howard lost control on a sweeping bend on Munibung Road at Cardiff. The vehicle slid into a power pole, critically injuring Jacob, who died in hospital eleven days later.
The Sentence and the Appeal
During Howard's original sentence hearing in Belmont Local Court in August, Christine delivered a moving victim impact statement, describing her son's death as the result of "gross, avoidable negligence." She spoke of the devastation of being told about the crash and everything her vibrant son had lost.
Howard was subsequently sentenced to a nine-month intensive correction order with home detention. Christine had initially believed a letter she received from Howard indicated genuine remorse. "At that time, I felt there was some genuine remorse, empathy and a willingness to take responsibility for his actions," she told the court.
However, that fragile sense of closure was shattered when Howard lodged a severity appeal against his sentence just weeks into serving it. He argued the punishment was too harsh and sought to have the home detention quashed and replaced with a community corrections order.
A 'Slap in the Face' Reduction
For Christine, the appeal felt like a betrayal that questioned the sincerity of Howard's earlier apology. "Being here today has made me feel that he never truly felt any of those emotions," she said. "It now seems they were simply words on paper."
She explained that the end of the criminal proceedings had offered her family "a small measure of peace" as they attempted to navigate their "new normal." "But his decision to reopen this process has taken that away," Christine said. "His actions have stirred up more hurt, pain and emotion than he could possibly imagine."
Despite her emotional plea, Judge Tim Gartelmann upheld the severity appeal. He confirmed the nine-month intensive correction order but reduced the home detention period from nine to six months.
Outside the courtroom, surrounded by family, Christine Mostyn expressed her profound devastation. "Today's decision is absolutely devastating," she said. "We're the ones with the life sentence, not him. Our family has lost a son, a brother, a mate and now the man responsible has his sentence reduced after taking Jacob's life. There is no justice in that."
She described the outcome as "a slap in the face" to her entire family, emphasising that nothing would ever make the situation right. Her final words served as a sobering reminder to all drivers: "We hope Jacob's story reminds others that one careless decision on the road can destroy so many lives."
