Reagen Skinner, Hannah Ferguson crash death: Robert Crockford appeals sentence for fatal truck crash in 2018

A Queensland truck driver who was jailed after a horrifying crash which killed a young couple in Dubbo in 2018 has launched an appeal in the Supreme Court. Find out what happened.

A Queensland truck driver who was jailed after a horrifying crash killing a young couple in Dubbo has launched an appeal in the Supreme Court, citing a “miscarriage of justice”.

Robert Crockford was driving a semi-trailer from Brisbane to Canberra when it crashed into multiple vehicles on the Newell Highway between Gilgandra and Dubbo in 2018.

Hannah Ferguson, 19, and her boyfriend Reagen Skinner, 21, both died as a result. Ten other people were injured.

Hannah Ferguson died in the crash. Picture: Facebook

Reagen Skinner was killed in the 2018 crash. Picture: Instagram

Crockford pleaded not guilty to the charges and after six months he was sentenced to a minimum of five years and four months in jail in September 2020.

The jury in Dubbo District Court found Crockford guilty of two counts of dangerous driving causing death and numerous other counts of dangerous and wanton driving causing bodily harm.

NSW District Court Judge Nanette Williams told Dubbo District Court that Crockford consumed alcohol the night before the crash.

The court also heard Crockford accessed the internet on his phone at 1.30am and was affected by fatigue and undiagnosed sleep apnoea.

“The offender had about four hours and 45 minutes sleep two nights before the collision and about five hours and 45 minutes on the night before the collision,” she said.

“Approaching the point of collision there was a series of warning signs. It is fair to say that he did not reduce his speed in accordance with those signs.

“The offender did not brake, swerve, decelerate or take any evasive action.”

On Friday, the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal heard from Crockford’s barrister Luke Brasch, who said he was “denied a fair trial” due to comments made by the Crown prosecutor in their closing address.

“The address did not exhibit the temperament and restraint that’s required from a Crown prosecutor,” Mr Brasch said.

Mr Brasch said there were “submissions not based on evidence” and “possibly most significantly, the ridicule and belittlement of the defence case”.

During the trial in 2020, Crockford alleged that he had an episode related to the condition known as cough syncope, which can result in a loss of consciousness. A jury was told to take this into consideration.

Robert Crockford has launched an appeal in the Supreme Court.

However, Mr Brasch highlighted “inappropriate comments” made by the Crown prosecutor regarding Crockford’s alleged cough syncope which “belittled” the defence’s case, labelling it as an “excuse”, and “myth … debunked by proper science”.

Mr Brasch categorised the comments as an “overstatement” in an attempt to “distract the jury”.

Brett Hatfield SC, the Crown prosecutor in the appeal case, in his reply, acknowledged the “inappropriate” remarks, saying some of the terms used were an “overstatement”.

Mr Hatfield, however, told the court that it was “dismissive” but not “problematic” in relation to the defence’s case and he disagreed with Mr Brasch’s submissions regarding the prosecution’s attempts to distract the jury.

A judgement is reserved and a future date has yet to be allocated.