Grace Millimaci
The West Australian
Model Samantha Harris will fly to Broome this month to appear at a glamorous beach polo event despite learning yesterday that her fiance was jailed for four years for dangerous driving causing death.
Harris was in the car when her tradesman partner of six years Luke Hunt’s car crashed into 78-year-old Kenneth Lay’s car in Sydney in 2012.
The accident resulted in Mr Lay’s car slamming into a tree. He died later in hospital.
Hunt, 28, was sentenced to four years jail in a Sydney court yesterday over the death.
Hunt, who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death, will be eligible for parole in two years and is disqualified from driving for 6 1/2 years.
Judge Colin Charteris queried why Harris, one of Australia’s top models, was not in court for the sentencing of her partner of nearly seven years.
Hunt said Harris wanted to avoid the media attention.
“She is very upset, she can’t handle it nowadays,” he said.
A spokeswoman for the Pinctada Cable Beach Polo, to be held in Broome on May 24-25, said Harris was still definitely attending.
A spokesman for Chic Model Management, which represents Harris, also confirmed the model would visit WA.
“At this point everything is still scheduled to go ahead,” he said.