Maddison Bain: Drunk driver who killed Kelly T’Hart knew she hit ‘something or someone’ but drove off anyway

The drunk driver who killed a woman in Mandurah in a horror hit-run that sparked tougher road laws has been jailed for almost five years. Maddison Peace Bain, 27, has been sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison after striking her victim Kelly T’Hart in Furnissdale in May 2024 before leaving her to die. Bain was almost four times the blood alcohol limit when she drove her friend and their baby home after helping her friends move house on May 19, 2024. The 27-year-old was driving along Riverside Drive — a narrow, rural road which had a speed limit of 110km/h — when she crashed into her 32-year-old victim, who had been walking near the road, about 6pm. It emerged in Perth District Court on Wednesday Bain screamed “I just killed someone,” before driving home to her friends, telling them, “I think I hit something or someone.” Ms T’Hart — a former traffic controller, who celebrated her 32nd birthday just one day earlier — suffered critical injuries and died at the scene, despite efforts to save her. During sentencing on Wednesday, Perth District Court Judge Lindsay Fox told Bain she had no right being behind the wheel after “several too many.” Bain was initially charged with four offences, including failing to stop and render assistance and failing to report the crash to police. She subsequently pleaded guilty to dangerous driving occasioning death under the influence of alcohol last June after the other charges were withdrawn. The court was told Bain — who is currently pregnant — suffered from PTSD, ADHD and borderline personality disorder, and had been an alcoholic since she was 14 years old. But Justice Fox said he did not accept Ms Bain was entirely remorseful and said, “actions speak louder than words.” “No sentence that I can impose will ever truly reflect the life you have taken,” he said. The State Government in February introduced Kelly’s Law, named after Ms T’Hart, which would increase the disqualification period for all motorists charged with serious driving offences. Disqualification notices are currently only available for some drink and drug driving offences. But under the proposed legislation, disqualification notices would be extended to all drink and drug driving, reckless and dangerous driving, high-level speeding and hit and run offences. Judges would also have more power to extend a license disqualification until the driver has been sentenced. Speaking outside court, Ms T’Hart’s mother Susan, said she was satisfied with the sentence and described the case as “Kelly’s case.” “Nothing’s going to be long enough, but four years and 11 months — we’ve got to be satisfied with that,” she told media on Wednesday. “The disqualification of her license means she’s off the road for nearly eight years, so that keeps our roads safer, having people off the road as well. “Our lives have just changed, there’s no way to explain missing a person every time that they’re not here ... or seeing your grandchildren suffer. “Kelly was just an amazing part of the family, (she was a) beautiful person and nothing will bring her back, but now we can actually try and move on and focus on Kelly and not Maddison Bain anymore.” Ms T’Hart said Kelly’s Law would be consolation to families of victims of serious driving offences, and pleaded with motorists to stop drink driving. “It will be like unbelievable relief (for families) to know that someone immediately who is a drunk driver or a drug driver, or a hit and run person can be taken off the road straight away,” she said. “They need to be off the road immediately, and that’s what we’ll do. “It takes nothing to get an Uber or ring a friend or a family member, and if you don’t, just stay where you are ... don’t do this to other people and kill someone they love.” Bain will be eligible for parole in March 2029. Upon release, her license will be disqualified for three years and six months.