The way in which music festivals — specifically, camping events — are run is in the spotlight following the jailing of a man found responsible for the death of a 35-year-old woman at a rural Victoria event on Australia Day.
Katie Louise Broadbent was killed by her partner's best friend, 24-year-old Westmere man John Forbes, when he reversed over her tent — in which she was still sleeping — at the Got Milk festival, in Rochester, Victoria, in January this year. Last week's trial consequently saw Forbes, who was found to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the incident, jailed for four years over Broadbent's death.
The incident has given rise to calls for an investigation into how music festivals are organised and executed, with special focus being paid to the way in which camping arrangements and areas are handled.
"What we would like to come out of this case today is for the coroner to investigate music festivals and how they are conducted, in particular car arrangements where people are sleeping," Damian Broadbent, Ms Broadbent's uncle, said outside court.
Forbes will have to serve a minimum of two years of his four-year sentence, having submitted a guilty plea and co-operated with officers throughout the investigation. However, according to the ABC, presiding Judge John Smallwood was adamant that jail time was necessary "to send a message".
"If jailing you saves even one life … that's something the community would say they wanted," Judge Smallwood said.
