Ross Blackmore: Enfield man pleads guilty over fatal collision south of Ballarat

The family of mum Kylie Pope says nothing will fill the void left since her death in a car collision south of Ballarat.

Kylie Anne Pope was killed in a car collision near Napoleons on October 4, 2020. Photo: Supplied

A mourning husband has told a court he had no opportunity to say goodbye to his wife killed in a fatal car collision south of Ballarat.

Ross Blackmore, 45, appeared in Ballarat County Court on Wednesday over a fatal crash that caused the death of mother and wife Kylie Pope in 2020.

The court heard on the night of October 4, Napoleons resident and learner driver Jacob Pope, 18, had stalled a ute attempting to perform a U-turn on Colac-Ballarat Road and was stuck stationary and horizontal along the road.

In the passenger seat of the car was his mother Kylie.

At the same time, Blackmore, a concreter, was driving a Toyota Corolla from Enfield to Ballarat to buy cigarettes.

It was a dark night and the roads were dry.

Blackmore had smoked drugs at a party the night before, and despite a speed limit of 60km/h, he was travelling faster than 130km/h.

As he approached, Blackmore saw a silhouette of something on the road and a witness who had stopped earlier flashed his own car lights in an attempt to warn him of the stalled ute.

But Blackmore was unable to stop in time.

The Corolla’s passenger side collided with the front driver’s side of the Jacob’s ute at 118km/h.

Believed to have struck her head on the vehicle’s console, Kylie received major head injuries and died at the scene.

As statements from the family were read out in court, Blackmore – who appeared digitally – seemed to have tears in his eyes and frequently put his head in his hands.

Jacob said that in the past two years he had dedicated himself to his work as a distraction from his mother’s death.

He said his anger was “hard to understand”.

“I will never get to hear her say that ‘I am proud of you,’” Jacob said.

“Nothing will fill the hole in our family from losing our mum.”

Kylie’s husband Peter said he had lost his “soulmate”.

“I turn over and the other half of the bed is empty,” he said.

“The house is empty too. There is no laughter.

“Everything was taken away from me in an instant. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

Blackmore’s lawyer said his client was “absolutely sorry”, and that he suffers from nightmares and relives the accident.

Blackmore pleaded guilty to culpable driving causing death.

He was remanded in custody for sentence at a later date.