Driver in Lamborghini crash also accused of killing spectator at burnout event

1 week ago 8

A Ballarat mechanic is accused of crashing a Lamborghini into a household home, six months aft helium allegedly killed a spectator astatine a burnout contention successful determination Victoria.

Bryce Dridan, 28, allegedly mislaid power of the high-powered achromatic sports car successful the Ballarat suburb of Sebastopol connected Friday. He had lone had his licence backmost for a substance of weeks aft it was suspended pending a intelligence wellness reappraisal pursuing a fatal clang astatine the Loo5enats lawsuit successful Stawell successful November.

Bryce Dridan was remanded successful custody aft this clang successful Sebastopol past Friday.

Dridan connected Tuesday faced Ballarat Magistrates’ Court, wherever helium was refused bail. During his application, it was revealed helium had a cause addiction and allegedly tested affirmative to methamphetamine aft some incidents.

Leading Senior Constable Melanie McFarlane told the tribunal that Dridan was besides charged with repeatedly driving portion suspended successful the months aft helium allegedly drove a mechanically unsound 2001 Holden Commodore ute into a engaged nutrient tribunal and killed 18-year-old spectator Trent DeZoete.

During the bail hearing, McFarlane alleged Dridan had galore opportunities to stop, but alternatively sped done a checkpoint, implicit a occurrence marshall’s ft and into the nutrient tribunal country astatine the Stawell Motor Sports Club.

DeZoete was trapped nether the modified vehicle.

McFarlane told the tribunal Dridan tested affirmative to methamphetamine astatine the scene, and a constabulary probe revealed helium had besides failed to decently motion successful to the lawsuit oregon abide by mandated information protocols, including having his conveyance scrutinised earlier performing burnouts.

Dridan is besides accused of taking his young girl retired onto the way successful the rider spot of his conveyance – successful breach of contention rules – soon earlier the fatal collision.

A mechanical appraisal aboriginal recovered a brake enactment had apt failed during the burnout event.

DeZoete’s household watched the proceeding remotely, and constabulary warned them that confronting accusation mightiness arise.

Trent DeZoete was killed astatine a burnout contention successful Stawell successful November.

McFarlane told the tribunal that successful the aftermath of the fatal crash, Dridan was captured connected body-worn camera footage saying: “I mislaid my brakes man, I went to propulsion disconnected the pad and I couldn’t stop. I’m screaming to people, ‘Move, move’. I virtually couldn’t bash anything, mate. This is wherever I ended up.”

Police, though, allege the accused antheral repeatedly failed to instrumentality evasive enactment and debar a fatality.

The tribunal heard an probe recovered Dridan had antecedently been evicted from Canberra’s Summernats car festival aggregate times for unsafe driving.

“It is wide from his behaviour that the accused has nary respect for the behaviour rules,” McFarlane said.

In precocious November, the tribunal heard, VicRoads suspended Dridan’s licence pending the result of a aesculapian review.

On January 11, helium was allegedly caught speeding and moving a reddish airy connected the Midland Highway successful Ballarat. He was again detected driving connected January 26 and his car was impounded.

McFarlane said the licence suspension was lifted connected April 9, and connected April 16 the accused antheral tested affirmative for methamphetamine aft being intercepted driving a achromatic 2011 Lamborghini.

Then, past Friday, Dridan was down the instrumentality of a high-powered Lamborghini successful Sebastopol erstwhile helium allegedly mislaid power astatine a roundabout and crashed into a household home.

The prosecution said Dridan’s driving past besides included 10 punishment notices for offences including driving without P-plates, utilizing a mobile telephone portion driving, speeding and having an unrestrained kid successful his vehicle.

Police had besides impounded a full of 3 cars connected to the accused and feared that if released connected bail, helium would proceed to entree cars done his mechanic concern and thrust portion impaired by drugs, McFarlane said.

Dridan is charged with offences including unsafe driving causing death, reckless behaviour and driving successful a unsafe manner.

“It seems similar he’s conscionable going to thrust anybody’s car. It’s a concern,” McFarlane told the court.

Defence lawyer Alexander Patton said his lawsuit was a susceptible idiosyncratic with intelligence wellness challenges and should beryllium bailed to unrecorded astatine location with his mother.

Magistrate Guillaume Bailin disagreed and said Dridan had repeatedly enactment the assemblage astatine hazard aft a antheral died arsenic a effect of his alleged actions.

“He is progressive successful an incidental wherever idiosyncratic dies. You accidental this has had profound interaction connected his intelligence health, and someway that’s not capable for him to comply with the law,” Bailin said.

“His behaviour implicit the past six months shows a flagrant disregard for the community.