The Perth obstetrician accused of killing a young woman in a drunken, high-speed crash on Saturday night allegedly made several “angry rants” about his wife in the weeks leading up to the tragedy, with the monologues captured by his car dashcam, a court has heard.
Rhys Bellinge, 45, is accused of crashing his Jaguar into an Uber on Birdwood Road in Dalkeith around 10pm, killing passenger Elizabeth Pearce, 24, and critically injuring her driver, a man in his 20s.
Rhys Bellinge has been charged with manslaughter.Credit: 9 News Perth / Supplied
On Tuesday, Perth magistrate Clare Cullen again delayed a decision on whether to bail the well-known doctor, who comes from one of Perth’s richest families, after police prosecutors revealed further review of Bellinge’s car dashcam captured in the days before the crash allegedly showed Bellinge driving at speed, and erratically, in the same area as the crash, and ranting about his wife, who had left him a month earlier.
“That footage, which goes back to February 6, contains numerous angry rants by him about his wife, even when he’s sober and on his way to and from work,” the police prosecutor said.
“We say it’s relevant on the grounds we are concerned for the welfare of his wife.”
The prosecutor also alleged body-worn camera footage from the crash site and later in hospital showed Bellinge trying to shift blame for the crash to the Uber driver, despite being accused of driving on the wrong side of the road.
“Wait a minute, wait a minute, they came out of nowhere, why the f--- am I the bad guy here, I’ve only had two beers,” he said.
Bellinge allegedly blew an alcohol reading of 0.183 at the scene, nearly four times the legal limit, and was clocked driving at 130km/h in a 50 zone as he made “unflattering and disgraceful” comments about his wife.
Defence lawyer Tony Hager argued, however, there was no history of family violence, or family court proceedings, against his client and that he had been seeking counselling since the separation.
The crash occurred a day after the couple’s last marriage counselling session.
“There is this period of disintegration in the otherwise pro-social life in my client from [when his wife left],” he said.
After reviewing Bellinge’s dashcam footage from the night of the crash, Cullen said she was concerned Bellinge outwardly appeared to be a contributing member of the community, but revealed a different side when alone, displaying “disproportionate emotional upset”.
“I am concerned about what is going on in the background … separations happen every day, this behaviour does not,” she said.
The police prosecutor said officers had so far been unable to speak with Bellinge’s wife.
“The ranting, we don’t know if she is aware,” she said.
Elizabeth Pearce died in a car crash in Dalkeith on Saturday night. Picture: LinkedInCredit: LinkedIn
University of Western Australia marine biology student Elizabeth Pearce, 24, was killed in the crash, while her Uber driver sustained critical injuries including two broken legs and a broken arm.
He is expected to survive, however will need multiple surgeries.
Bellinge has a fracture to his spine and is currently in a spinal brace.
Hager argued, if granted bail, Bellinge could reside with his father, and would abide by any bail conditions, including house arrest and abstaining from alcohol.
His father, Bruce Bellinge, is a millionaire and lives on Jutland Parade, one of the state’s wealthiest roads, adorned with riverside mansions.
Bellinge has admitted to being involved in the crash, however, Hager said there was likely to be argument about his level of negligence and whether he should face a manslaughter charge, or the lesser charge of dangerous driving causing death.
He is currently under police guard at Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital.
Cullen will decide on his bail application on Wednesday after reviewing further footage from his car’s dashcam and medical reports from his treating doctors.
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