Alexandra Hills couple killed by allegedly stolen 4WD, Waterford West teen charged with murder
A 17-year-old charged with the murders of a Brisbane couple hit and killed by an allegedly stolen car was out on bail for driving offences, including evade police.
Police & Courts
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A teenager charged with murder after a couple walking their dog were hit and killed in a horror crash involving an allegedly stolen car at Alexandra Hills in Brisbane’s east, was out on bail for driving offences.
The couple killed were 37-year-old Matty Field and 31-year-old Kate Leadbetter, who was six months pregnant, both from Alexandra Hills.
The couple’s dog Frankie fled the scene with the community rallying in the search to find her. She was located nearby in bushland.
Police allege a 17-year-old Waterford West male, whose charges include two counts of murder and one count of dangerous operation of a vehicle (adversely affected by an intoxicating substance), was driving the stolen vehicle.
The Courier Mail understands the teen was on bail for driving offences, including evade police.
He had his matters mentioned in the Brisbane Children’s Court on Wednesday but did not appear.
Magistrate Rosemary Gilbert allowed media to attended the court after applications were made by several news organisations.
Ms Gilbert ordered a brief of evidence he disclosed to the defence by March 10.
The matter was adjourned until March 24 when the youth will be required to appear via video link.
He was remanded in custody.
The teenager’s lawyer Patrick Horgan, from Cridland and Hua Lawyers, said outside caught it was a “traumatic experience” for all involved but declined to comment further.
Police will allege the teen was driving the stolen 4WD Toyota LandCruiser on Tuesday night which smashed into a truck and rolled, hitting the two pedestrians at the intersection of Vienna and Finucane roads.
News organisations, including the Courier Mail, argued they should be permitted into the court due to the large public interest in the case and principles of open justice.
Mr Horgan opposed the application.
“Given that the public interest is purely being kept abreast of what’s happened in this matter that interest can’t outweigh the defendant’s right to a fair trial, which is going to be drastically impeded if there’s a media slather,” he said.
Ms Gilbert said she needed to balance the operation of the Children’s Court, which is usually closed to journalists, and the role of the media in reporting on matters.
Ms Gilbert said the matter had already attracted substantial press coverage.
“They are charges, which are of an extremely serious nature. There is, in my view, good reason to allow the reporting of the proceedings,” she said.
Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd said the incident had resulted in “two, potentially three lives being lost”.
He said it was an “incredibly catastrophic scene” that confronted people who ran to help.
“Tragically and from advice from the family and the Queensland Ambulance Service we understand that Katherine was pregnant,” Mr Codd said.
Mr Codd said the teenager may face additional charges.
“At this point we are awaiting the confirmation of the pregnancy, there is provision under the criminal code for offences relating to the killing of unborn children and that is certainly something we will be considering as part of the ongoing investigation.”
Mr Codd said bail would be opposed by police and an affidavit to that effect had been prepared.
When asked why the teen had been charged with murder, Mr Codd said: “There is provision legally, and I don’t profess to be a legal expert, but there is provision in certain circumstances where a criminal, reckless or negligent act can result in a murder charge if a death was a foreseeable and probable consequence of that illegal act.”
He said investigators made the decision for the murder charges which would “ultimately be considered by the courts.”
Mr Codd said police had issued a “broadcast” on their radio system to be on the lookout for the stolen car after a woman called police about the earlier crash.
He said police had not located the vehicle when Ms Leadbetter and Mr Field were struck and killed.
“We know there’s a 15 minute window ... you could use your own judgment to determine it has not travelled far away from that area,” he said.
“Here’s two people going about their business innocently on Australia Day walking their dogs.
“To have them ripped away from their families is an absolute tragedy and I can assure you it’s impacted very, very heavily on the first responders ... who witnessed that.
“It shouldn’t happen.”
Mr Codd appealed for the public with dashcam, anyone with CCTV or anyone who saw the incident to contact police.
This morning, flowers have been left at the scene of the horrific crash.
Two men who said they were mates with the couple left beers at the shrine of flowers.
“He would have preferred beers,” one said.
Local Mark Lovorec said he witnessed the white Land Cruiser “slam” into the couple.
“I saw a white 4WD (coming) down and two pedestrians were walking in their dog,” Mr Lovorec said.
Mr Lovorec said a man and woman were then flung several metres in the collision.
“Then the car hit another car, and there was a big accident,” he said
“They were dead and I was in shock.”
Mr Lovorec said the Redlands community was angry over the incident.
“I’m angry, like they’re local residents, it was a pregnant woman and her partner, and it was horrific and it shouldn’t have happened,” he said.
“Everyone is very angry about it.”
Neighbour Michael Armstrong was one of the first responders at the scene, which he said was “terrible straight away”.
“I just hope he’s dealt with accordingly,” Mr Armstrong said.
More than a dozen local residents, who did not know the couple personally, have dropped flowers at the scene.
“My partner’s dad lives just around the corner and I didn’t know just how bad it was at first,” said young mum and lifelong Alexandra Hills resident Kylie Brown.
“It is pretty crazy for it to happen just around the corner.
“It is just unfortunate that it has led from a (alleged) car theft to a loss of loved ones.”
Birkdale resident Chanelle Kapea felt compelled to pay her respects.
“My partner and I are of similar age (as the victims) and we have two dogs that we walk every day,” Ms Kapea said.
“It was a really nice evening out yesterday and it was Australia Day.
“And the Redlands feels like a really safe place which shakes us up most.”
Alexandra Hills resident Javi Russell said he was on his way to get some work done at Evil Eye Tattoo Studio, only metres away from the scene of the crash, when the shock events unfolded.
“It is sad and shouldn’t have happened,” Mr Russell said.
Finucane Rd resident Wendy Chaney said the crash “sounded like metal on metal”.
“I thought the back shed had collapsed,” she said.
“The traffic light was gone, it was totally knocked out, it was that loud.”
Ms Chaney said a large group of bystanders from cars and surrounding homes ran towards the scene to assist.
“I could see the guy on the road and he hadn’t moved in the time the ambos got there,” she said.
Police allege the teen ran from the scene and about 5.30pm stole a set of keys from a Kingston Ave home before attempting to start a car in the garage.
He fled on foot when approached by one of the residents of the home and was followed to Chelsea Crescent where he was arrested by police.
He was taken to hospital for minor injuries.
Minutes earlier the same car, which police say was stolen from a Cleveland house between 4-5pm Tuesday, was involved in a road rage incident.
LNP MP and former police officer Dan Purdie said both the community and police were outraged by Queensland’s “catch and release” practises around juvenile offenders.
“As a former CPIU (Child Protection) detective, I can understand why the community and our police are outraged,” he said.
“This is not the first time that innocent lives have been lost.
“Police for a long time now have been warning the Palaszczuk Government that their watering down of the Youth Justice Act and their catch and release laws in relation to juvenile offenders would lead to tragedy and unfortunately that what’s happened again.
“Police are legitimately outraged.”
Police last night charged the 17-year-old Waterford West male with two counts of murder, one count of dangerous operation of a vehicle (adversely affected by an intoxicating substance), two counts of burglary and one count each of unlawful use of a motor vehicle and attempted unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
Laying flowers at the scene, Bowman MP Dr Andrew Laming said the Redland community was in shock.
“I just want to remind everyone that this is an illicit drug issue and not a driver safety issue,” he said.
“There aren’t easy answers to this problem and there are a lot of professionals who devote their careers to work out when people are and are not released.
“We need to ask about whether someone, once they are behaving like an adult, operating a vehicle should be in an adult court.”
Dr Laming said the crash was a “one-in-a-million” incident.
“I know bystanders did everything they could, as a medical person there is very little you can do with this type of an accident,” he said.
Shocking footage has emerged online showing the earlier road rage incident, which happened at the same intersection only 20 minutes before the couple were killed.
The footage shows a male in the Toyota gesturing at the driver of a silver Hyundai hatchback as the cars are parked side-by-side waiting at a red light at Alexandra Hills about 5.10pm.
When the light turns green, the 4WD can be seen crashing into the side of the silver car before speeding away.
Chris Fleming, who posted video of the first collision online, told The Courier-Mail his wife Angela began filming the car after they heard a loud screech as the 4WD pulled up behind and overtook them.
The couple then pulled up behind the allegedly stolen car at the traffic lights where they filmed the driver making rude gestures to the man and child in the car next to him before the first crash.
“Look, I just saw a hit and run with a guy, we’ve got it all on the video,” Mrs Fleming can be heard telling a triple-0 operator.
The pair pull over to assist the driver of the Hyundai, asking if he is okay.
“Are you guys hurt?,” Mrs Fleming asks.
“No but we’ve got our disabled son in the back of the car,” the driver of the hatchback responds.
The tragedy comes after grandmother Rhonda Lofting was killed at the same intersection in August 2014.
The 65-year-old’s car was struck by a stolen vehicle driven by a 40-year-old man while she was stopped at a red light on the same corner where the two people were killed last night. The driver was charged with manslaughter over her death and sentenced to 11 years’ jail.
The Australia Day tragedy comes after a shocking road toll in 2020.
Fifty-six more people lost their lives in 2020 than in 2019, with a total of 275 people killed on Queensland roads.
RACQ spokeswoman Clare Hunter late last year said the toll was “baffling”, and despite all the efforts of police and warnings to buckle up, slow down and rest when tired, the death toll just kept climbing.
“It’s baffling and extremely disappointing that so many people have been killed on our roads,” she said at the time.
Roads Minister Mark Bailey last month said there were more than 3500 hospital admissions last year for crashes.
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