Man sentenced for killing Ian Welldon in Toowoomba truck and motorcycle crash

Ian Welldon was described by his family as funny, kind and hard-working.  (Supplied: Welldon family)

Allan John Eveleigh has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail after pleading guilty to killing a “much-loved” family man in Toowoomba in 2023.

The court was told the 56-year-old Everleigh had had a “very high” level of methamphetamine in his blood when he failed to stop at a traffic light on Bridge Street in Cotswold Hills early on June 21.

Allan Eveleigh will spend the next 10 months behind bars before being eligible for parole.  (Supplied)

The truck he was driving collided with the back of Ian “Watty” Welldon’s motorcycle as he waited at the lights at the intersection of Bridge and Nugent Pinch Road.

Mr Welldon died at the scene.

Eveleigh pleaded guilty in the Toowoomba District Court to one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death, nearly three years after the crash but before the matter went to trial.

Mr Welldon’s wife, Cherie, and two adult children, Chais and Ilannah, read powerful victim impact statements in court, describing how their lives had been irrevocably changed by the tragedy.

Ilannah (left), Cherie (centre) and Chais Welldon read powerful victim impact statements to the court.  (ABC Southern Queensland: Dan McCray)

Cherie Welldon told the court that her husband’s death had changed the rhythm of her breathing, the way food tasted and robbed her of her sense of purpose in life.

“He’s my best friend, my soulmate, my rock,” Mrs Welldon said.

She also told the court of the financial strain caused by her husband’s death.

“I have no future. It seems dark,” she said.

Ilannah Welldon said the day of the crash was the last day her dad had been planning to ride to work that winter.

“The next day he would have been driving my car,” she said.

“I know kids are always supposed to outlive their parents, but that shouldn’t have happened two months before [my] 23rd birthday.”

Ian Welldon would regularly participate in charity motorcycle rides and had plans to travel around Australia with his family.  (Supplied: Welldon family)

Chais Welldon said he had lost his mentor.

“He was the person I went to for advice on everything, from relationships to work to our hobbies. He was my father, my best friend,” he said.

Judge Jennifer Rosengren described the tragedy as “nothing short of extreme” and said sentencing in such cases was one of the hardest parts of her job.

During sentencing, Judge Rosengren read aloud Eveleigh’s criminal and traffic history and said that while it did not aggravate the penalty she handed down, it was relevant.

Eveleigh had a long traffic history, including convictions for drink and drug driving, as well as a criminal history the prosecution described as deplorable, which included convictions for home invasion and sexual assault.

Judge Rosengren did, however, accept that Eveleigh had shown genuine remorse, both at the scene when he rendered first aid to Mr Welldon and afterwards, when he asked his lawyer to pass on his apology to Mr Welldon’s family in court.

She emphasised that Eveleigh’s offending was not a case of “momentary inattention”, noting the traffic light had been red for 14 to 15 seconds before he crashed into the back of Mr Welldon’s motorcycle.

She said that while there was no medical evidence to confirm Eveleigh had been affected by the methamphetamine in his system, he was willing to put other road users at risk by driving while knowing it was present.

She also said that, due to his history, she regarded his prospects of rehabilitation “more conservatively”.

He was sentenced to three-and-a-half years behind bars, with a parole eligibility period of 10 months.

Outside court, Mr Welldon’s family said the sentence did not bring them any closure.

“He pretty much got away with it,” Chais Welldon said.