Joshua Pinch pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death of Craig Ashley Ridgeway at Ballarat County Court

A baker who fell asleep at the wheel after an overnight shift before killing a man after colliding with him at Clarkes Hill says he can never escape the trauma he caused.

Joshua Pinch's Mazda station wagon drove across the solid white line on Ballarat-Daylesford Rd in Clarkes Hill, hitting a Holden ute and killing 51-year-old Craig Ashley Ridgeway.

A Ballarat East baker who fell asleep at the wheel on the way home after an overnight shift at work causing a collision that killed a man says he will never forget the haunting sights and sounds of the crash.

Joshua Pinch pleaded guilty to one charge of dangerous driving causing death at Ballarat’s County Court on Monday.

In May 2023, Pinch was 20 minutes into his regular drive back from his 10pm to 6am shift at Pastry King’s Cafe and Bakery in Daylesford when he fell asleep behind the wheel.

His Mazda station wagon drifted across the solid white line on Ballarat-Daylesford Rd in Clarkes Hill, hitting a Holden ute and killing 51-year-old Craig Ashley Ridgeway.

After the collision, Pinch said he could not remember what happened but that he must have fallen asleep.

He told police cops he had smoked weed over the weekend, but nothing on the day, the court heard.

On Monday, Pinch’s lawyer told the court his client had a “momentary inattention because of fatigue” caused by working the night shift at the bakery.

“The unfortunate reality (of late night shift workers) is they are compelled by work situations to work these hours and then be faced with a break over the weekends where they’re potentially adjusting to daylight hours and then quickly going back,” he said.

The lawyer read a letter from Pinch in which the 23-year-old expressed his remorse and how “profoundly devastated” he was.

In his letter, Pinch said he would never be able to forget the sound of the crash and the image of seeing Craig in his car.

“These images have kept me up at night, sent me into panic attacks and depression, and made me feel guilty and remorseful on any good day I have because I know my life has come at the expense of another,” the letter said.

“These thoughts and feelings are a burden that I will carry for the rest of my life, a reminder of my greatest mistake.”

Pinch’s lawyer said his client was 21 at the time of the offending, had been driving for three years and had no criminal priors or driving infringement.

The lawyer asked the court for a punitive community corrections order.

However, the prosecution argued that a term of imprisonment was within the range, arguing that the general deterrence was high because the public made judgment calls regarding fatigue before driving, and the imprisonment would be a “message” for all.

“The degree of sleep deprivation makes it an aggravating offending … cases like this have a devastating impact on victims’ families,” she said.

Judge George Georgiou reserved his sentence to a date to be advised, saying he wanted to consider the matter carefully.

“Families will understand that sentencing for these matters is always a difficult task for a judge to undertake,” he said.

Pinch will be assessed for a community corrections order before being sentenced.