A professional dancer was left with life-changing injuries after a drunk mother swerved onto the wrong side of the road in a horror crash, a court has heard.
In emotional scenes on Wednesday, 46-year-old Rasha Arafa gave a tearful embrace to her loved ones as she was handcuffed at Downing Centre Local Court and led to prison for the head-on smash.
Reading from agreed facts, Magistrate Daniel Covington said Arafa was driving “at a speed” on a busy Sydney road at 8:20pm on October 4 last year when “her vehicle mounted a median strip and went onto oncoming traffic”.
Magistrate Covington said several cars had to move out of the way as Arafa’s car smashed into an Uber front-on, injuring the driver and passenger.
Arafa, a law graduate whose LinkedIn profile says she is the managing director of a cryotherapy business, returned a high-range blood alcohol reading of .183.
Magistrate Covington said the victim, a former dancer, was left with significant injuries that required four surgeries, including a punctured lung, broken rib and damaged kidneys.
“The victim, Ms Simpson, also suffered financial hardship — her career as a dancer was jeopardised”.
“In relation to the (Uber) driver, he suffered a fractured rib and fractured vertebrae, but it was a far less significant than Ms Simpson’s”.
Crown prosecutor, Mr Luthra, told the court Ms Arafa should be jailed, given her high-range drink-driving and the fact she “completely ruined” the lives of the victims — especially the dancer.
“She sustained significant injuries and now she can’t dance again,” he said, adding Arafa had a previous drink driving offence on her record.
Arafa’s defence lawyer, Andrew Norrie, argued his client should be served a community-based sentence, submitting she had a mental health impairment and experienced family-linked trauma in the lead up to the offence.
“We are dealing with a person who otherwise has little to no offences on her record. There are two distinct entries with a big break in time,” Mr Norrie said.
Ultimately, Magistrate Covington decided she must be sent behind bars.
“Her sentencing assessment report shows remorse … she speaks of stresses around the time which is consistent with the psychological report; she had alcohol to cope and unfortunately got in a vehicle. She was driving and having a breakdown and this offence occurred,” Magistrate Covington said.
“Importantly, I recognise the harm was significant. Two people were going about their day when one in the back of an Uber has had her life changed as a result of this offence”.
Arafa was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment with an eight month non-parole period for one count of aggravated dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and one count of causing bodily harm by misconduct while in charge of a motor vehicle — having pleaded guilty to both charges.
She will be released on parole on January 16, 2024.
As the sentence was handed down, a glamorous-looking Arafa turned to a man there to support her and cried.
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Just minutes later, her lawyers launched a sentence appeal and tried unsuccessfully to release her on bail while she awaits appeal proceedings.
When Magistrate Covington dismissed the bail application on the grounds of community safety, Arafa muttered “s**t” from the custody box.
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