Libby Ruge crash death: Jaskaran Singh and Arpan Sharma guilty as mothers grateful for verdict

The mothers of Kiama teen Libby Ruge have defiantly stated there’s “nothing to say” to the two men responsible for her death as the driver of the car involved in the fatal crash learned his fate.

The forever heartbroken mothers of Kiama teenager Libby Ruge have expressed their “relief and gratitude” after one of the men who caused her death two years ago was found guilty in Wollongong District Court on Friday.

After hearing four days of evidence, the jury took less than two hours to reach the verdict that 20-year-old Jaskaran Singh was guilty of three counts of dangerous driving occasioning death and grievous bodily harm and not rendering assistance as a driver.

Arpan Sharma, who was in the passenger seat and pulled the handbrake that led the Toyota to crash outside Wollongong Collegians on Saturday, November 7, 2020, pleaded guilty to the three dangerous driving charges on Monday.

Ms Ruge’s mothers, Julie Ruge and Jules Harrison, said they had nothing to say to the two men who took their beloved daughter away.

Libby Ruge’s mothers Jules Harrison and Julie Ruge embrace outside Wollongong Courthouse after the guilty verdict. Picture: Dylan Arvela

“What can we say?” Ms Harrison said.

“If they don’t feel bad then there’s nothing we can say that will make them feel bad and if they do feel bad there’s nothing we can say that would make them feel worse.”

Ms Ruge pleaded for this tragic case to be a warning to others

“They could have killed a lot more people that night,” she said.

“I just hope it’s a lesson to anyone else out there who thinks that it’s fun to hoon around on a Saturday night. It’s not worth it for all the devastation that it’s caused – not just us as parents, but to friends and the paramedics and the police.

“There are still police and paramedics who haven’t been able to go back to work so we are so grateful to them and we’re sorry they’ve had to suffer along with us.”

The guilty verdict for Singh, and Sharma’s guilty plea, closed one chapter in the case with the two men to reappear in Wollongong District Court on Monday where their sentencing date will be determined.

Arpan Sharma pleaded guilty to the dangerous driving charges on Monday. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

The mothers said the result didn’t guarantee closure, but they were hopeful it would aid the healing process for them, her boyfriend Luke Day as well as the many others affected.

They said their daughter would be proud of them and amid the tears, Ms Ruge was still able to crack an embarrassing mum joke.

“At the end of the day it’s the verdict we were hoping for,” Ms Ruge explained.

“Of course it’s not going to bring Libby back, but we’re just so grateful we can try and do some healing.”

The family of Libby Ruge leaving Wollongong Courthouse after the guilty verdict. Picture: Dylan Arvela

“We hope [she’s proud of us]. Libby may not physically be here, but we are still her parents,” Ms Harrison said.

“We are always going to do our best to make her proud and make sure her memory lives on,” Ms Ruge continued.

“She would probably be going ‘Oh my God, this is so embarrassing mum’, but I know she would be grateful to everyone who worked so hard.

“I know she would be heartbroken for us and for Luke and she would want us to try and find some happiness.”

Miss Ruge was a part-time dental assistant who aspired to be a dentist because she witnessed the transformational effect of orthodontic treatment.

Her family ensured her legacy would live on through the Libby Ruge Smile Fund which gives young adults access to dental rehabilitation that they or their families may not be able to afford.

Libby Ruge was an aspiring dentist. Picture: Supplied

Miss Ruge’s life was tragically cut short on that November evening when Singh, with Sharma in the passenger seat, was driving Nelish Mishra home from a party in the Wollongong CBD.

During the trial, it was revealed to the court through eyewitness testimony and CCTV footage that Singh and Sharma were hooning through the town with the latter screaming at pedestrians.

A drunken Sharma, who owned the Toyota, ripped up the handbrake three times in a short period of time with the third time causing the car to mount the gutter.

The vehicle plunged into four young revellers, Miss Ruge, her boyfriend Mr Day and friends Eva Harrison and Tye West, who were enjoying a night on the town in the wake of eased Covid restrictions.

Luke Day, Libby Ruge’s boyfriend and her mother, Julie Ruge, outside Wollongong Courthouse. Picture: Dylan Arvela

The vehicle came to an immediate stop when it collided with a utility pole.

Mr West and Miss Harrison both sustained multiple serious injuries and were conveyed to Wollongong Hospital while Mr Day was able to walk away physically, but not mentally, unscathed.

Miss Ruge, however, was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital having sustained several horrendous injuries to multiple parts of her body.