Para Hills man pleads not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving

A young man will stand trial over allegations he mowed down a woman on the Northern Expressway and killed her before fleeing the scene.

A young man will stand trial charged over a crash which saw a woman mowed down by another vehicle as she stepped out of her car following a guardrail collision.

Cooper Leslie McGinley, 22, has pleaded not guilty to charges of causing death by dangerous driving, leaving the scene after causing death, aggravated driving without due care and driving without due care.

Mr McGinley was first charged over the crash, which happened on the Northern Expressway at Ward Belt in June, 2021, in the immediate aftermath.

Eight months later the charges were dropped, before being re-laid in October last year.

Kate Budzynski, for Mr McGinley, told Magistrate Brian Nitschke her client would be pleading not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and leaving the scene after causing death.

Cooper McGinley has pleaded not guilty to a charge of causing death by dangerous driving. Picture: Facebook

Cooper McGinley when he faced court in 2021. Picture: Jason Katsaras

Mr Nitschke found Mr McGinley did have a “case to answer” and remanded him on bail ahead of a future trial.

Police have previously alleged a 44-year-old Andrews Farm woman was driving her Holden Cruze when it crashed into wire cabling on the Northern Expressway median strip, lost control and spun.

She then got out of her car after the crash when a Mitsubishi Triton, which police alleged Mr McGinley was driving, allegedly collected the woman and killed her.

The Mitsubishi was allegedly found 1km away from the scene.

The case has been ongoing through the courts since Mr McGinley was initially charged following a lengthy eight month adjournment before the charges were then dropped before being re-laid.

The major indictable causing death by dangerous driving charge carries with it, if found guilty, a maximum prison term of 15 years.

He will stand trial in May.