Darren James Homan: Jury retires to deliberate verdict

A jury has retired to deliberate after a court heard three mates were trying to “do a good deed” before tragedy struck.

• ‘I lost my best mate’: Groper Creek trial revelations
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A COURT has heard three mates were trying to help their parents before a man was tragically ejected from a tinnie, never to be seen again.

In his closing remarks on Wednesday, Darren James Homan’s barrister Harvey Walters said the 2019 Groper Creek boat crash was a “tragic accident” that caused the death of 35-year-old Justin Scott.

35- year-old Justin Scott went missing in floodwaters at Groper Creek on February 8, 2019.

Homan pleaded not guilty to dangerously operating a vessel causing death or its alternative, general obligation on persons involved with operation of a vessel to operate it safely causing death when a trial commenced in the Townsville District Court on Monday.

Mr Walters said just because a death had occurred did not mean someone had committed an offence.

“These are three good friends trying to do a good deed and this tragedy occurred,” he said after it was heard Homan and Mr Scott put their boat into the flooded creek earlier that fateful day to deliver groceries and check on their parent’s flooded homes.

A number of witnesses gave evidence across the three days before Homan was cross examined in the witness box.

He said he had owned his a boat for 12 years before the accident occurred and had operated a boat in a flooded river three or four times before the 2019 flood event.

Darren James Homan leaves the Townsville Courthouse on June 15, 2021.

Crown Prosecutor Andrew Walklate suggested to Homan he dangerously operated his tinnie when he drove it within one metre of the Groper Creek jetty, before it hit a submerged pylon at speed, ejecting Mr Scott into the river.

Homan disagreed and said he believed he was 25 metres away and was unaware there was a pylon below the water.

He said he was in shock after smashing into the pylon and realised after he helped Jamie Levitt, another man, up off the tinnie’s floor before he realised Mr Scott had been thrown out.

He said he should have known sooner Mr Scott was not in the boat.

Mr Scott’s wife, Sabrina Scott said she got a call from Homan on the afternoon in question, telling her what had happened.

She said she immediately joined the search for Mr Scott and stayed on the river until well after midnight looking for him.

Former Burdekin Shire Mayor Bill Lowis also took to the witness stand on Wednesday.

Mr Lowis said he had seen Homan on the morning of the accident and was later that afternoon made aware an incident had occurred.

A month later Mr Lowis inspected the Groper Creek jetty where the crash occurred.

He said he was “struck” with the fact two pylons at the end of the jetty were missing their caps.

Photographs Mr Lowis took of the jetty were shown to the court.

The jury retired on Wednesday afternoon to deliberate its verdict.

The trial will continue on Thursday.

Originally published as Darren James Homan: Jury retires to deliberate verdict