Australian man avoids jail in hit-and-run that killed student kneeling on road to 'pray'
Judge Barnett sentenced the driver, Ashton Friend, to a suspended term of one year, three months and 29 days, with a non-parole period of eight months.
An Australian man, Ashton Friend, avoided immediate jail time after being sentenced for a hit-and-run incident that resulted in the death of a 20-year-old international student, Samia Malik, in Adelaide in May 2025. CCTV footage showed Malik in a "praying motion" shortly before the collision, which occurred on North East Road in Hillcrest around 11 pm.
Friend, who had been driving home from his girlfriend's house, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless use of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident. Judge Anne Barnett sentenced Friend to a suspended term of one year, three months and 29 days, with an eight-month non-parole period and a two-year good-behaviour bond.
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