Barney Wakes-Miller: P-plater faces court over teens death in Elanora Heights hit with drink-drive charge
A teenager has had a charge of mid-range drink driving added to his list of alleged offences over the car crash death of popular northern beaches teen Barney Wakes-Miller.
Manly
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A P-plate driver charged over the death of a teenage boy in a Saturday night car crash on the northern beaches, is facing two new charges over the incident, including mid-range drink driving, a Children’s Court heard today.
The driver, 17, was allegedly behind the wheel of a car with six teenagers on-board when it smashed into a stone and iron fence at Elanora Heights in July.
Barney Wakes-Miller, a year 11 student from Oxford Falls, who was sitting in the back seat of the Holden Commodore, died from head injuries in the crash at 11.10pm on July 18.
The driver, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital for mandatory blood tests. The other passengers – three 16-year-old boys and a 16-year-old girl – were also taken to hospital to be checked as a precaution.
On July 28, the driver was arrested at Manly Police Station.
He was charged with six offences: dangerous driving occasioning death; negligent driving occasioning death; not comply licence condition – drive with more than one passenger under 18 years of age after 11pm; drive with four unrestrained passengers; sustained loss of traction and; drive in a speed/manner dangerous.
Surry Hills Children’s Court was told on Tuesday that the driver, who was not in court, has now been charged with mid-range drink driving.
Magistrate Julia Virgo also said the driver was charged with dangerous driving causing death.
Ms Virgo asked the prosecutor from the NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions if the new charges replaced any of the existing charges, but he said he had not yet been made aware if that was the case.
The driver is yet to enter a plea on any of the eight charges.
The magistrate was told that a report by a pharmacological expert was still being completed and that the brief of evidence was not yet completed.
The prosecution asked for an adjournment so the brief could be finalised.
Ms Virgo ordered the brief be served on the defence by November 17.
She adjourned the matter to December 9 for a reply to the brief.
Bail was continued.