Lleyton Van Spronssen broke down crying while giving evidence over fatal crash while on drugs
A driver who killed a mate in a horror smash, while drunk and on drugs, broke down crying while giving evidence at his sentence hearing.
Central Coast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Central Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A 19-year-old has told a court he took up Muay Thai fighting because he was scared of going to jail following a high-speed crash at Niagara Park, which killed his mate.
Lleyton Van Spronssen, of Ourimbah, broke down crying a number of times when he took the stand to give evidence during his sentence hearing at Gosford District Court on Wednesday.
Van Spronssen said he was raised by his mother after his father — a member of the Rebels bikie gang — left not long after he was born.
He told the court he started using recreational drugs aged about 16 and at the time of the crash he had not long broken up with his girlfriend.
“I just wasn’t thinking about what could have happened, not realising the consequences of what driving under the influence could be,” he said.
Asked why he drove so fast Van Spronssen said he was “just on a high” and “I thought it would be fun.”
An agreed set of facts states he was celebrating an 18th birthday at Central Coast Leagues Club on March 20 last year when he was seen to consume five beers.
He would later tell police he also consumed 1g of cocaine and MDMA before he was refused service and kicked out of the club shortly before 2am on March 21.
The facts state he then went to a house party at Narara before getting behind the wheel of a friend’s silver Mitsubishi Lancer with three others to go and buy cigarettes.
On the way he stopped to pick up a fourth passenger and after purchasing smokes at the Lisarow 7-Eleven, Van Spronssen started speeding along Washington Ave.
“The deceased also recorded a video of the offender driving,” the facts state.
“The video depicts loud music playing, and multiple people within the car yelling for the offender to slow down. The speedometer (from the view of the rear passenger side seat) appears to show a speed of 160km/h.”
About 4.20am Van Spronssen lost control on a right hand curve near Perrat Close and hit a tree and a timber pole.
“At the time the vehicle left the roadway, the vehicle was travelling at approximately 134km/h,” the facts state.
Asked why he fled the scene after trying to help two of the passengers, both aged 17, out of the car Van Spronssen broke down in tears before telling the court “to kill myself”.
“Was that why you were walking on the train tracks?” his lawyer Michael Mantaj asked, to which Van Spronssen replied “yep”.
But when no trains came along he said he left the tracks.
“I walked to BJ Metalands and climbed up on the roof and I was going to jump off but I didn’t want to do that to my mum,” he said.
His mother found him walking in a nearby street and took him home but the police arrived soon after.
“Terrible, every thought I have every day is about what I have done to Rhys’ family. And I know there is nothing I can do to make them feel any better,” he said.
“I never meant for this to happen.”
He told the court he had taken up Muay Thai fighting because he was scared about going to jail and wanted to go to Thailand to train after he gets out of prison.
Van Spronssen had pleaded guilty at an earlier appearance to dangerous driving occasioning the death of his mate Rhys Morris and grievous bodily harm to another passenger while travelling 45km/h above the speed limit.
He also pleaded guilty to a number of other offences including driving under the influence of cocaine and MDMA, negligent driving and being a P1 driver with more than one passenger in the car after 11pm.
Van Spronssen told the court he had remained friends with the three other passengers, including one who suffered ongoing complications from his serious injuries.
He will be sentenced on April 13.
Lifeline 131114.
Best Aussie suburbs for home buyers, right now
These are the top suburbs to buy for Aussies looking for a new home right now.
Read more
New charges: Former life coach denies assaulting teen girls
A former “life coach” has denied sexually and indecently assaulting young teenage girls. It comes as two new victims have come forward prompting further charges, a court has heard.
Read more